Practical Intelligence continued

This had some great ideas, and exercises, on how to use more of your mind, and use ideas and ways of thinking that we may have discarded. For example, some people feel that thinking emotionally is always bad, or that being totally rational is robotic. Albrecht talks about rational/emotive thinking as being on the same spectrum and to be used to look at the same issue or problem from different perspectives. He quotes from Zen teachers, American psychologists, and neuroscientists in exploring the capacity of the brain to know well quickly (as in Blink), or to unravel a problem with group input in an organized way--zone thinking. He also has some great strategies for thinking more clearly about ourselves, especially so that we end negative self-talk that makes us feel unworthy or depressed.

It wraps up many of the thoughts in his two previous books but adds a great deal to them. I liked it.

Practical Intelligence, the Art and Science of Common Sense, by Karl Albrecht

I've been reading this book on and off for the last few weeks. Its about how to create a more holistic and positive approach to thinking, and to develop the kinds of intelligence in synchony we normally think of as polar opposites. For example, intuition and logical thinking are often considered mutually exclusive or antagonistic. Albrecht creates the term intulogical thinking and shows how to combine these skills. The book should really have been called Holistic Thinking, Expanding your Intelligence, because although the results are no doubt practical there is nothing very common about it. I've learned a lot so far, but it is a bit of a drag that many parts of the book are excerpts from the two previous books of his I recently read. Nevertheless, this is a fascinating read. Parts of it were used in Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, but its good to read the original source for more insight.

I'm still reading it and enjoying it, in between other books. Of the 3 books of Albrechts I ordered, I think the most helpful to me personally was The Power of Minds at Work, because I could immediately apply what I learned. But this is a powerful book and I continue to learn from it.

Social Intelligence, by Karl Albrecht, continued

I was listening to the news and a recent strategy by utility companies is to put on people's bills how well they're conserving energy compared to their neighbors, which caused a huge uproar in the Northwest. Well, in Social Intelligence, Karl Albrecht has a section on peer pressure, especially in regard to the behavior of teenagers. We are very susceptible to peer pressure in our lives, being the social animals that we are, so its important for parents to understand how to deal effectively with their teenagers. It quotes from some very interesting books on how best to handle your teenager who is under tremendous pressure and stress from peers. It doesn't help to ignore that pressure, but its best to acknowledge it up front, help your young person see things in a little better perspective, and give them the confidence to deal with it in a more detached way. Teenagers have extreme emotions, not just because of hormonal changes, but because of inexperience. They can use the help of adults if we give it to them the right way--not by hammering them over the head with it, but if we acknowledge who they are and talk to them with some respect and kindness about what they're living through.

A book he mentions with admiration is The Nurture Assumption, by Judith Rich Harris, who says that teenagers occupy a subculture with its own rules, and this is why children grow up with the language of their peers, not their parents. As with any subculture, our children have a world and a set of rules of their own, and our best bet is to recognize this, and provide our perspective in a dispassionate way.

My approach to the teenage years was to pass no judgments but to introduce my kids to the black and white perspective of astrology. It helps tremendously to have a chart with symbols on it that you can point to and say "you're going through a Saturn transit." Its not you, its just the passing planets. So we had a secret language together and it helped a lot.

Social Intelligence, by Karl Albrecht

After reading Outliers (see below), I decided to explore the Karl Albrecht books he referenced: Social Intelligence, Practical Intelligence, and the Powers of Minds at Work (on Organizational Intelligence). Last night I read Social Intelligence, which describes S.P.A.C.E.: Situational intelligence, Presence, Authenticity, Clarity, and Empathy. Situational refers to context. You wouldn't yell in a Cathedral, and you wouldn't whisper in a night club. Its about appropriate action in context. Presence has to do with the sense you create as you enter a room by your words and posture--gravitas or flightiness; confidence or insecurity; humility or arrogance. He recommends watching a videotape of yourself or listening to a tape. His example of authenticity is Popeye ("I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam.") Like the genie said in Aladdin, "Be yourself." Evidently, its not so easy. Clarity is basically using simple words and sentences, just trying to be clear, not obfuscating (hiding the subject) with the big words. Empathy is connecting to people. All of these things can be developed and honed with practice and experience, but it takes paying attention. Learn from those you admire who excel in those categories. Its really not that hard to figure out, but a lot of people don't grow up with people who can give them these skills. Those who do have a big advantage--one of the points in Outliers. But the skills can be learned once we're aware of them, and we want to. That's very hopeful.

I will say that, depending on where you're starting, it might be more helpful to read Tongue Fu! by Sam Horn. That's a great little book. A friend of mine told me she'd just bought 3 copies for her children. Its got lots of practical techniques for dealing with difficult people and emotions, and its a fun and easy book to read.

I just got Jane Eyre for the book club, so I'll probably be posting about that soon.

The Power of Minds at Work:

This is a powerful book and I will make some significant changes to the way I manage people in my company because of it. Of the 7 categories of Organizational Intelligence he covers Performance Pressure is the one where I fall down, oddly, because its the one I care about the most. But his comments about managers being afraid to manage people hit home. I have to create a more supportive environment for all the people in the company, not just a few.

Aside from that, though, his perspective on past management trends and fads was really valuable, because it includes advice on what works and what needs to be avoided, including the consultants who tend to promote a particular prescription regardless of the diagnosis. We've used consultants quite a bit, and although I think we're better for it, we spent a lot of money on a prescription that was probably over the top for our level of development, but it will stand us in good stead going forward so I don't regret it.

One of his many pearls of wisdom was: don't make big changes unnecessarily. You don't have a successful program for change unless people perceive it as a real need. It seems basic, but some people think that just shaking things up is good for people. It isn't.

If you have an entrepreneurial bent or you would like to work within your own company to make it better, this is a great place to start.