What Types Of Intelligence Help To Be A Good Leader?
Leadership capacity is a highly valued skill in today’s society In a world as competitive as ours, it is essential to be able to guide and motivate others towards the achievement of certain objectives, making them see that the common objectives are compatible with their own and the need to subscribe and fulfill them.
In this regard, a high level of intelligence would seem to be very useful for playing the role of leader, since it is easy to assume that the more intelligent the person is, the more effectively they perform the role of leader. But is this really so?
Logic and data obtained through various studies dictate that general intelligence (measured by IQ) is useful when establishing leadership, since it a high level of intelligence allows for better situational analysis and consideration of alternatives
However, this relationship between intelligence and efficient leadership has been found to have a small to moderate correlation. On the contrary, it is relatively common that those who are considered intellectual geniuses do not turn out to be good leaders. This is because having high intellectual abilities does not guarantee that in critical situations one will have the ability to overcome and know how to lead the group.
In fact, Sometimes greater intellectual capacity can produce counterproductive results producing ineffective leadership that ends up being ignored, in the case of situations in which the leader has much more capacity than the subordinates.
This is partly due to the emotional distance created by the difference between capabilities as well as the fact that since intelligence is a general construct that refers to a set of capabilities, it does not have to be similar to the set of skills necessary to lead. . For example, having a high IQ does not imply the ability to motivate and know how to treat the people under your charge. What really implies greater effectiveness in leadership is the leader’s sense of competence and experience.
Types of leadership
Studies carried out by various authors seem to demonstrate the existence of different types of leadership within the same group. Apart from these two typologies, depending on how power is exercised, different styles of exercising leadership can be found (one of the most notable being transformational).
1. Task-focused leader
Leader focused on meeting objectives and production This is a type of leader who specializes in the task to be carried out, being an expert component in charge of mobilizing available resources. Although they increase productivity, workers’ perception of it is usually negative.
This type of leader may have a very high academic and general intelligence, but is usually poorly accepted by subordinates, so despite increasing productivity in the long run it can also increase unrealized productivity.
2. Socio-emotional leader
This type of leader tends to focus his actions on the employee, achieving the maintenance of a stable and functional work network, establishing collaboration strategies between employees and helping to reduce tensions. They minimize unrealized productivity and tend to have greater appreciation and information than other types of leaders.
The researcher Fred Fiedler developed what is known as the contingency model, according to which Leader effectiveness is determined by leadership style and situational control This last element depends on the structuring of the task, the power of the leader and his relationship with his subordinates, the latter being the most relevant element when it comes to producing an effect on the effectiveness of leadership.
Task-focused leaders are very useful in situations where situational control is very low or very high, while in intermediate situations social-emotional leaders seem to work better. This differentiation shows that there is no one leadership that is more efficient than another, but rather The most appropriate type of leadership will depend on the type of activities and the characteristics of the activity company, objective, leader and staff.
Intelligence applied to effective leadership
As mentioned above, for leadership to be considered efficient, it is essential to take into account the type of relationship maintained with subordinates, since the leader-subordinate relationship is still an interpersonal bond.
In this sense, general intelligence is not as relevant as one of the various multiple intelligences, emotional intelligence and interpersonal intelligence, which are much better predictors of efficient leadership than the measure of general intelligence.
A charismatic leader with a high level of emotional intelligence will show a remarkable ability to communicate positively affecting the emotionality of the worker. This ability allows you to collaborate with subordinates to help them make decisions, make each person’s actions seen as necessary, and contribute to showing the need to change attitudes and beliefs based on emotional regulation and empathy.
However, although this type of intelligence is essential for good leadership, the type of intelligence that best predicts a leader’s success is social intelligence. This type of intelligence refers to the ability to understand, participate and manage social situations, both formal and informal, as well as being able to visualize and delve into other people’s perspectives It also allows you to influence others.
Despite all of the above, it must be taken into account that the level of intelligence, both social and emotional and general, is an advantage in establishing clear, effective and efficient leadership.
Conclusion
In short, intelligence plays a relevant role in establishing and maintaining positive and functional leadership. Especially relevant in this aspect are social or interpersonal intelligence and emotional intelligence
However, the presence of high intellectual abilities does not imply better leadership per se, but rather the effectiveness of the leader will depend on very diverse factors, derived from both the leader and the staff, activity and situation, with in fact the best predictor of success being leader’s experience in handling various situations.
