Intelligence

Past studies have demonstrated that intelligence had the strongest correlation with leadership among traits investigated.

There are different approaches and definitions of intelligence. However, intelligence can be described as the ability to:

  • learn about,
  • learn from,
  • understand, and
  • interact with one's environment.

This general ability consists of a number of specific abilities, which include these specific abilities:

  • Adaptability to a new environment or to changes in the current environment
  • Capacity for knowledge and the ability to acquire it
  • Capacity for reason and abstract thought
  • Ability to comprehend relationships
  • Ability to evaluate and judge
  • Capacity for original and productive thought (About.com).
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zaccarro, Kemp, and Bader (2004) found support for the finding that leaders tend to have higher intelligence than non-leaders. Having strong verbal ability, perceptual ability, and reasoning capabilities appear to make one a better leader. Although it is good to be bright, the research also indicates that a leader's intellectual ability should not differ too much from that of his or her subordinates. Leaders with higher abilities may have difficulty communicating with followers because they are preoccupied or because their ideas are too advanced for their followers to accept (Northouse, 2007, p. 19).

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Sirje Virkus, Tallinn University, 2009