Thursday, October 25, 2007

Top ten signs you’re losing IQ

Egonomics borrowed from Dave Marcum and Steve Smith, the authors of egonomics

... Sit in a meeting with a technology team, and you’re likely to watch a battle of intellect. While that raw, IQ horsepower is what drives better ideas, without knowing it those same teams also lose curiosity and group intellect because they mistake being analytical/critical for being progressively smart. In their individual “debates” and battle of wills, they lose group IQ. Once they cross that line, the best idea winning is at the mercy of whose idea wins. And the company lives with the consequence.

“Top 10 signals you’ve crossed the line from contributing expertise to showcasing it”



1. Remind people of your experience frequently.
2. Share strong opinions on most topics, regardless of expertise or experience.
3. Lead with answers rather than questions.
4. Frequently feel impatient with others.
5. Dominate discussions or projects with people who have similar talents.
6. Micromanage to be involved in everything.
7. You’re the only one that has the necessary expertise or experience.
8. No one speaks up when you lead a meeting.
9. You occupy most of the time in most conversations.
10. You take far too long to make your point(s), or repeat them frequently.

Ten truths to prevent crossing the line; or get back the right balance of ego and humility:

1. Just because you once knew, doesn’t mean you still do (or always will).
2. People without your “status” (position, title, degree, etc.) aren’t necessarily less experienced or intelligent.
3. If you’re always outlining your expertise, you’re not learning anything new.
4. Position/title doesn’t mean superior experience, intellect, creativity, etc.
5. Promotion doesn’t mean you’re suddenly smarter than others.
6. Colleagues may already know what you’re talking about.
7. Your opinion isn’t absolutely necessary or even desired every time.
8. Most talents aren’t more or less important than others—just different, depending on the situation.
9. Your talent isn’t wasted if it isn’t used/needed in every situation.
10. Your experience doesn’t mean you’ve learned all the necessary lessons there are to learn.

Ten emotions/attitudes to watch for that you (or someone else) crossed the line:

1. unappreciative
2. invincible
3. self-satisfied
4. controlling
5. contempt
6. patronizing
7. intolerant
8. impatient
9. autocratic
10. condescending

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is uncanny, I was watching the re-run of 2005 Apprentice and couldn't but help notice how the apologetic team leader Lindsey was so ready to throw blame instead accepting that she'd made the mistake of cutting everyone down and making the final decision to go with her own idea (my way or else ...) I think she matched most of the 10 emotions/attitudes that we all need to watch for.