The Intelligences
In our experience, the following are the six most important forms of individual intelligence. There are many ways of defining them. These are the definitions we like best:
Mental Intelligence
This is how well we know our mind and how well we use our mind to understand and relate with others and the world.
Emotional Intelligence
This is the ability to recognise, understand and manage our own feelings and the feelings of others
Physical Intelligence
This is one of the least known intelligences, yet one of the most basic. It is how well we know and respond to our body and how well we use our physical senses to interact with others and the world
Intuitive Intelligence
This is our capacity to know and understand without knowing (or needing to know) how we know and understand. Our intuitive intelligence is greatly undervalued and underused.
Social Intelligence
This is the ability to get on well with others and to get them to cooperate with you.
Spiritual Intelligence
Although this means many things to many people, it is essentially the ability to know and relate with ourselves, others and the world at a much deeper level than normal.
Although these six intelligences have been described as if they are distinct from each other, they are in reality closely connected to each other. Each influences, and is influenced by, all the others. All our work reflects this.
So far, we have been speaking about individual intelligence. In our work we also focus on an important collective intelligence…
Organizational Intelligence
This has two main components:
Inner directed – this is how well an organisation understands and relates, internally, with itself. Are its internal relationships fluid and effective? Is it making optimal use of its people?
Outer directed – this is how well the organisation understands and relates, externally, with the world outside it. For example, how well does the organisation sense the emerging trends likely to affect it in the future? Is it well liked because it behaves ethically and responsibly?
