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FACTOR I: STRATEGIC SKILLS
CLUSTER B: MAKING COMPLEX DECISIONS
30 Intellectual Horsepower
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same
time, and still retain the ability to function. F. Scott Fitzgerald American writer of novels and short stories

Section 1: Your Development Need(s)
Unskilled
May be intellectually lazy or disorganized
May not think things through carefully
Always wants everything to be simple
Emotions may get in the way of careful consideration
Impatience may get in the way of careful consideration
May be mentally inflexible or stalebelieving that his/her way is the best and virtually only way to do things
or solve problems
May get frustrated when others are talking conceptually
May be slow to catch on to things
Select one to three of the competencies listed below to use as a substitute for this competency if you decide not to
work on it directly.
Substitutes: 1,5,14,17,24,32,33,46,51,58,61
Skilled
Is bright and intelligent
Deals with concepts and complexity comfortably
Described as intellectually sharp, capable, and agile
Overused Skill
May use intelligence to dominate and intimidate others
May not be able to relate to those less intelligent
May only accept own solutions
May be impatient with due process
Select one to three of the competencies listed below to work on to compensate for an overuse of this skill.
Compensators: 3,4,7,10,15,18,19,26,31,33,36,41,42,44
Some Causes
Disorganized
Excessive emotionality
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Lack of patience, perseverance or self-confidence
Lack of cognitive skills
Lazy
Rigid belief systems

Leadership Architect

Factors and Clusters

This competency is in the Strategic Skills Factor (I). This competency is in the Making Complex Decisions
Cluster (B) with: 17, 32, 51. You may want to check other competencies in the same Factor/Cluster for related
tips.

The Map
Much of success in life and work is based upon acquiring knowledge and skills and putting them to use solving
lifes problems and challenges. Although your level of basic intelligence is in a sense set at birthyou have as
much as you are ever going to havepopular science writers commonly claim we use only 10% of the brains
capacity. Even though that number probably cant be specifically verified, its safe to say we all have extra
capacity we could put to use. Studies show that intelligence is a use it or lose it competence; those who stay
mentally sharp show continuing though slight increases in intelligence throughout their lifetimes.

Section 2: Learning on Your Own
These self-development remedies will help you build your skill(s).
Some Remedies
1. Emotional? Cool down. Excessive emotionality decreases the effective use of brain power. The
emotional system hijacks the brain until the threat is removed. The brain works best under cool conditions.
If you tend to get emotional about things, wait a minute or two to regain your composure and then try to
solve the problem. Decision making under heat is unlikely to be correct over time. More help? See #11
Composure.

2. Moving too fast? Take time to think. Many of us are very action oriented. Its the famous fire-ready-
aim. Many mistakes we make would not have happened if we had taken the time to think things through.
Try to add one minute to your thinking time. Go through a mental checklist to see if you have thought about
all of the ramifications of the problem or challenge. Go into any learning event with a goal. Ask questions
about what you read. Chunk up what you learn. Put it in categories that make sense to you. Other research
has shown that the first thing or solution you think of is seldom the best choice. Usually somewhere
between the second and third choice turns out to be the most effective. If you are an action junkie and jump
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at the first option, you will be wrong much of the time. More help? See #41 Patience and #43
Perseverance.

3. Narrow belief system? Extend your horizon. Much research from anthropology has shown that our
brains are trapped inside our belief framework. The Hopi Indians in the Southwest have one word for snow
whereas the Inuits of Alaska have 24 different words for 24 different kinds of snow conditions. A Hopi could
not survive in Alaska with just one snow concept. Our experience unknowingly creates boundaries for our
thinking. Try to think outside your belief boundaries. You dont have to give them up; just turn them off
when you are thinking about a problem or challenge.

4. Need practice? Jump-start your mind. There are all kinds of mental exercises to increase the use of
whatever intellectual horsepower you have. You can create checklists so you dont forget anything. You
can run scenarios. You can ask whats missing. You can do pros and cons. You can visualize. You can
diagram a problem. You can practice seeing how many patterns you can see in something or how many
ways you can mentally organize it. These and many other practices will be in any text on problem solving.
More help? See #51 Problem Solving and #52 Process Management.

5. Too opinionated? Separate opinions from facts. Help others do the same. Read Edward de Bonos
Six Thinking Hats to learn more about this technique. Opinionated people are seldom clear thinkers and
good problem solvers.

6. Preconceptions? Pause to consider the facts before rushing to a solution. We all have a need to
provide answers as soon as possible to questions and problems. We all have preconceived notions,
favorite solutions, and prejudices that prevent our intellectual skills from dealing with the real facts of the
problem. For one-half of the time you have to deal with an issue or a problem, shut off your solution
machine and just take in the facts.

7. Want to know how things work? Think systems. Subscribe to The Systems Thinker

, Pegasus
Communications, Inc., Waltham, MA, 781-398-9700. This is a group dedicated to finding out how things
work and why they work that way. They have a monthly publication as well as workshops, seminars and
other materials available to help you see the world as a series of recurring systems or archetypes. They
analyze everyday events and processes and try to see why they work the way they do. They take complex
problems and try to show how almost all problems are some form of seven classic models.

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8. Want to stay sharp? Exercise your brain. Buy some beginning crossword puzzle books to do in your
spare time. Buy other kinds of mental puzzle materials and practice on them. Get a book on mind
mapping or better yet, attend a workshop. Mind mapping is a technique that teaches you how to organize
concepts.

9. Cant picture it? Visualize. Try to picture problems and challenges in the form of pictures or flows. Buy
a flow charting software that does PERT and GANTT charts. Become an expert in its use. Use the output
of the software to communicate the elements of a problem to others. Use the flow charts in your
presentations to explain the problems youve solved.

10. Want a role model? Access great minds. Study a few great thinkers and philosophers like John
Stuart Mill who outlined the basic logic of problem solving. Read their biographies or autobiographies for
clues into how they used their intellectual skills.

Section 3: Learning from Feedback
These sources would give you the most accurate and detailed feedback on your skill(s).
1. Bosss Boss(es)
From a process standpoint, your bosss boss probably has the most influence and control over your
progress. He/she has a broader perspective, has more access to data, and stands at the center of
decisions about you. To know what he/she thinks, without having to violate the canons of corporate due
process to get that information, would be quite useful.

2. Development Professionals
Sometimes it might be valuable to get some analysis and feedback from a professional trained and certified
in the area youre working onpossibly a career counselor, a therapist, clergy, a psychologist, etc.

3. Human Resource Professionals
Human Resource professionals have both a formal and informal feedback role. Since they have access to
unique and confidential information, they can provide the right context for feedback youve received.
Sometimes they may be directed to give you feedback. Other times, they may pass on feedback just to
be helpful to you.

4. Natural Mentors
Natural mentors have a special relationship with you and are interested in your success and your future.
Since they are usually not in your direct chain of com-mand, you can have more open, relaxed, and fruitful
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discussions about yourself and your career prospects. They can be a very important source for candid or
critical feedback others may not give you.

Section 4: Learning from Develop-in-Place Assignments
These part-time develop-in-place assignments will help you build your skill(s).
Do a competitive analysis of your organizations products or services or position in the marketplace, and
present it to the people involved.
Train and work as an assessor in an assessment center.
Relaunch an existing product or service thats not doing well.
Teach a course, seminar, or workshop on something you dont know well.
Teach/coach someone how to do something you are not an expert in.
Manage a group of people who are towering experts but you are not.
Assemble a team of diverse people to accomplish a difficult task.
Manage a group through a significant business crisis.
Do a postmortem on a failed project, and present it to the people involved.
Audit cost overruns to assess the problem, and present your findings to the person or people involved.

Section 5: Learning from Full-Time Jobs
These full-time jobs offer the opportunity to build your skill(s).
1. Fix-Its/Turnarounds
The core demands to qualify as a Fix-it or Turnaround assignment are: (1) Clean-ing up a mess. (2)
Serious people issues/problems like credibility/performance/morale. (3) Tight deadline. (4) Serious
business performance failure. (5) Last chance to fix. Four types of Fix-its/Turnarounds: (1) Fixing a failed
business/unit involving taking control, stopping losses, managing damage, planning the turnaround, dealing
with people problems, installing new processes and systems, and rebuilding the spirit and performance of
the unit. (2) Managing sizable disasters like mishandled labor negotiations and strikes, thefts, history of
significant business losses, poor staff, failed leadership, hidden problems, fraud, public relations
nightmares, etc. (3) Significant reorganization and restructuring (e.g., stabilizing the business, re-forming
unit, introducing new systems, making people changes, resetting strategy and tactics). (4) Significant
system/process breakdown (e.g., MIS, financial coordination processes, audits, standards, etc.) across
units requiring working from a distant position to change something, providing advice and counsel, and
installing or implementing a major process improvement or system change outside your own unit and/or
with customers outside the organization.


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2. Heavy Strategic Demands
The core demands necessary to qualify as a Heavy Strategic Demands assignment are: (1) Requires
significant strategic thinking and planning most couldnt do. (2) Charts new ground strategically. (3) Plan
must be presented, challenged, adopted, and implemented. (4) Exposure to significant decision makers
and executives. Examples of jobs with Heavy Strategic demands: (1) Strategic planning position. (2) Job
involving repositioning of a product, service, or organization.

3. Scope Assignments
The core demands for a Scope (complexity) assignment are: (1) Significant in-crease in both internal and
external scope or complexity. (2) Significant increase in visibility and/or bottom-line responsibility. (3)
Unfamiliar area, business, technol-ogy, or territory. Examples of Scope assignments involving shifts: (1)
Switching to new function/technology/business. (2) Moving to new organization. (3) Moving to overseas
assignment. (4) Moving to new location. (5) Adding new products/services. (6) Moving between
headquarters/field. (7) Switches in ownership/top management of the unit/organization. Examples of Scope
assignments involving firsts: (1) First-time manager. (2) First-time managing managers. (3) First-time
executive. (4) First-time overseas. (5) First-time headquarters/field. (6) First-time team leader. (7) First-time
new technology/business/function. Scope assignments involving increased complexity: (1) Managing a
significant expansion of an existing product or service. (2) Managing adding new products/services into an
existing unit. (3) Managing a reorganized and more diverse unit. (4) Managing explosive growth. (5) Adding
new technologies.

Section 6: Learning from Your Plan
These additional remedies will help make this development plan more effective for you.
Learning to Learn Better
1. Keep a Learning Journal
Keep a learning log or diary about the issues and opportunities youve faced and how youve acted. Focus
on how youve used your strengths and weaknesses. Deduce your effective and successful rules of
thumbwhat worked and what didnt, and how you would have done it differently.

2. Skim Data Repeatedly to Find Insights
When stumped on a problem, take out the available data and information and read it over and over rapidly.
Do not impose any order; do not organize or divide the data into categories when you start. Repeat this
until an order and solution jumps out at you and forms into a plan.
Learning from Experience, Feedback, and Other People

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3. Getting Feedback from Bosses and Superiors
Many bosses are reluctant to give negative feedback. They lack the managerial courage to face people
directly with criticism. You can help by soliciting feedback and setting the tone. Show them you can handle
criticism and that you are willing to work on issues they see as important.

Learning from Courses
4. Insight Events
These are courses designed around assessing skills and providing feedback to the participants. These
events can be a powerful source of self-knowledge and can lead to significant development if done right.
When selecting a self-insight course, consider the following: (1) Are the skills assessed the important
ones? (2) Are the assessment techniques and instruments sound? (3) Are those who are providing the
feedback trained and professional? (4) Is the feedback provided in a user-friendly and actionable format?
(5) Does the feedback include development planning? (6) Is the setting comfortable and conducive to
reflection and learning? (7) Are the other participants the kinds of people you could learn from? (8) Are you
in the right frame of mind to learn from this kind of intense experience? Select events on the basis of
positive answers to these eight questions.
When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you
do not know it this is knowledge. Confucius (551-479 BCE) Chinese philosopher



















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Suggested Readings
Cooper, C. (1999). Intelligence and abilities. Wexford, Ireland: Creative, Print and Design.
Deary, I. J. (2001). Intelligence: A very short introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, Inc.
Epstein, S., & Brodsky, A. (1993). Youre smarter than you think: How to develop your practical intelligence for
success in living. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. New York: Basic Books.
Gardner, H. (2004). Changing minds: The art and science of changing our own and other peoples minds.
Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Macintosh, N. J. (2000). IQ and human intelligence. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Martin, R. (2007). How successful leaders think. Harvard Business Review, 85(6), 60-67.
Martin, R. (2007). The opposable mind: How successful leaders win through integrative thinking. Boston:
Harvard Business School Press.
Maxwell, J. C. (2003). Thinking for a change: 11 Ways highly successful people approach life and work. New
York: Warner Books.
Nadler, G., & Chandon, W. (2010). Smart questions: Learn to ask the right questions for powerful results. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Neisser, U., Boodoo, G., Bouchard, T., Boykin, A., Brody, N., & Ceci, S., (et al.). (1996). Intelligence: Knowns
and unknowns. American Psychologist, 51(2), 77-101.
Roam, D. (2008). The back of the napkin: Solving problems and selling ideas with pictures. New York: Portfolio
Hardcover.
Sofo, F. (2003). Six myths of critical thinking: The 7 keys to thinking critically. Crows Nest, Australia: Allen &
Unwin Pty. Limited.
Sternberg, R. J. (2001). Thinking styles. Boston: Cambridge University Press.
Sternberg, R. J. (2004). International handbook of intelligence. Boston: Cambridge University Press.
Waitley, D. (2006). Wordmaster: Improve your word power and improve your life! Audio CD.
LearnOutLoud.com.
Wellman, A. M. (2002). The five faces of genius: Creative thinking styles to succeed at work. New York:
Penguin Books.