Justin Menkes offers a new way to measure the performance of business executives in Executive Intelligence. Elements considered are tasks, other people and oneself.
At first blush, Justin Menkes' conceptualization of Executive Intelligence seems to parallel pioneering work developed by Daniel Goleman christened Emotional Intelligence (EI) in 1995. Elements of EI include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. A leader’s inventory of leadership styles is dependent on the ability to deal with emotions in a compelling manner. Leaders who effectively handle more than one of these elements are thought to be better performers. Goleman contends that there is a high correlation between leadership performance and emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence may come naturally to a leader, but Goleman also states that it can be learned and greatly improved upon. Like Menkes, Goleman makes a comparison between his theory of intelligence and the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) instrument used for measurement of practical intelligence developed by Alfred Binet.
Elements of Executive Intelligence
Where Menkes distinguishes his work is in the context of what elements describe highly skilled business executives who display exceptional critical decision-making abilities. Elements of Executive Intelligence comprise the accomplishment of tasks, working with people, and being able to judge one' own performance. Like Goleman, Menkes points out that truly superior business leaders who execute effectively are proficient in many different areas. Executive Intelligence is described as a set of interconnected abilities constituting the foundation needed for executive talent and proficient decision-making. The author points out that the lack of Executive Intelligence is a pervasive problem for corporate America and the root cause of most business failures.
Notable Thoughts
Throughout this book, Justin Menkes shares with his readers some very interesting observations on corporate leadership and management. Real-life examples are used throughout the book. Many ring true from the beginning, reflecting unspoken realities we see in corporate operations. A few notable thoughts are:
- Incompetent people are oblivious to their own poor performance and don't recognize superior decisions made by others
- Often we know great business leaders when we see them, but describing what comprises one is difficult
- Talented people working together will perform better than any single person could alone
- Effective leaders are hands-on, they follow through and are involved in the details of their business
- Too many leaders act without thinking and poor executive judgment is a major part of corporate failure
Measuring Executive Intelligence
Menkes differentiates between knowledge and intelligence. He points out that knowledge reflects experience within a subject and intelligence knows what to do with that knowledge to reach a goal. The two factors are intertwined and you need both to make a good decision. The author proposes a matrix of individual skills that comprise Executive Intelligence in each of the three competencies. These are things like critical examination of underlying assumptions, anticipating the likely emotional reactions of individuals to an action, and recognizing one's own personal biases. Menkes suggests a test using a verbal interview that mimics the executive's real world working environment given by trained human graders. He argues trained personnel are more than capable of accurate, consistent results. Questions posed should reflect real-world situations that require a candidate to analyze a scenario, make a conclusion and justify it. Scores are based on the process used to reach the answer and not just the final result.
Can Executive Intelligence Be Learned
Justin Menkes believes that Executive Intelligence can be learned. He suggests the Socratic Method used in law schools were participants can either be asked in advance a discussion topic or to critique a previous speaker. This cycle he believes bolsters cognitive and thinking skills.
Justin Menkes provides each of us with something to consider in defining business leadership. His Executive Intelligence concept breaks executive performance into three apt competencies. Menkes offers a clear vision of what constitutes an effective business leader in a concise and reasonable format. Executive Intelligence (ISBN-10 0060781881) is published by Collins, contains complete footnotes and subject index, and retails for $14.95.
