IQ, EQ, TQ; what really matters?

Those of you who have been following me for a while, or been taking part in my trainings, may have noticed the strong emphasis on removing barriers. Couple of days ago I was given a book. A very exiting book. It was about the difference between the worlds best and the rest.
We all know names like Usain Bolt, Lewis Hamilton or Jack Welch. All second to none in their field. The question is, do they have a special gene, that took them there? Are they superior in muscle formation or nerve formation or intelligence? 
If you said yes (like we easily do when talking about endurance running and Kenian /Ethiopian runners), then why every record will eventually be beaten? At the days of Michael Schumacher, his records were ”unbeatable”. Or no man can run 100 m under 10 seconds.

If we had the opportunity (and maybe in half a century we will) to study every person on this world, we would find out that the winners are not those, with the best genes! Or the brightest mind. And this is why removing barriers is so important. There are two aspects, that make the difference:

 1. first one must intelligence / physiological features good enough that they are not preventing you from proceeding and
 
2. and then you mus have the stamina to make the best out of it. 

Just look at the following examples; Steve Jobs was far from the most positive and supporting leaders, Donald Trump I’ll let you judge, you see in sports the ”wrong” kind of people succeeding (too small for ice hockey, too short for basket ball etc). You, and me, need to stop about hoping to have this or that or something else. When we accept our strengths, understand the real barriers (truly our own ones, not the outcome of mirroring on someone else), then we can make our future as we like.

Barriers are the outcome of education and people growing us up. And of the role models we choose. It is natural, it actually has been part of the success of the species called homo sapiens. Yet, the great achievements are the outcome of those, who went over the barriers. Who thought ”they say it cannot be done, but what they actually mean is they cannot do it”. When I was 2 years and 8 days old, the following statement was voiced ”First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” 
The speech of John F. Kennedy was a determination of getting over the barriers. Nobody knew exactly how to do it. But the y started to deal with the challenges. The rest is history. I am enjoying stories on Facebook, how ”impossible” things are done. Be that sports, requiring some etc.  My question to you is not how intelligent you are. More is it how high you are on emotional intelligence. Because they are not the real issue. There is something much more important, something that makes the real difference!

The book I was reading gave it a good name; the Talent Quotient. What is it? Is it part of the Gardner et. al. Multiple Intelligence? Sorry, not. It is the profound element, which makes the difference that takes one from mediocre to good and from good to great and from great to the best in world. Talent Quotient (TQ) is about how you build your unique solutions and paths. It is about making the most out of what you have, understanding where you (with intelligent, emotional and physiological features) will be at your best. 

I used to practice swimming at my teenage. No major success. My reasons for the sports were only partly based on my ”Q’s”. And I loved being in water. Only years later I learnt, that I might have been great in an other sport, cycling. TQ is about seeing the real person, from multiple viewpoints. When you focus on the possible barriers you have, then you can make ”your way”. Just be sure, that those barriers are real, not given to you by someone else. The hype today is become more emotionally intelligent. Are you low on Emotional Intelligence? Are you doomed? No, because there are pretty many areas, where low emotional intelligence is actually beneficial! And most of us are not really low on all the areas of Emotional Intelligence.

When I am working with my clients (and helping my friends or mentoring pro bono SME leaders) I take them to see what they really have? Is there something that is a true barrier? What can be done with that, so that the strengths the person has will take him/her to the next level? We all have strengths which will take as further, which will help us to reach goals regardless of  the barriers. We just need to do two things; accept that we cannot copy the way of someone else and learn to bypass the barriers. Yes, there are barriers, that will prevent us from reaching some goals. I accept that. Like with my body structure I would never have become a world class swimmer. But might have been able to reach world class in some other sports.
The beginning for all of us is to start to use our Talent Quotient. Talent Quotient is about thinking what we have, where and how to use it and how to be better at it. The biggest gift we can give to ourselves, is to appreciate ourselves. To use our intelligence features for the best. Are you ready to be the better you, who is feeling better and successful?

You may have some idea, where you are good at. I had, when I was at school. It was the traditional ”boys are better in math”. So I could not be so good in languages. Well, I’m not very good in languages, I only speak Finnish, English, conversational German and Swedish and basics of Russian, Chinese and Portuguese. And understand some Dutch and Spanish. I, and my teacher, were all trapped with the stereotype thinking. This is the most important trap for you to avoid. To get forward, you could use the solution of the greatest; assess, measure, get feedback and learn, learn, learn. You know, you are learning throughout your life. Pretty many of us just let their brain learn what ever comes across, the best ones search for the most valuable learning. It is really that simple. You just need to maintain the habit of active result oriented learning. And remember, that don’t fight against the barriers, get around them. The lesson we were taught long time ago, when the Mongolian army went around the Great Wall in China.

Getting around your great wall will be an amazing emotional experience. And it will open a totally new world to you. A better, more rewarding world. Rewards are both mental and financial (if you want that). And rewards also make the life of your dearest better. My question to you is ”is your fear of finding the true you  your biggest barrier?”. Remember, there are people like me, who have their own mission as to help others to use their talent for the good of themselves and the world.

I mentioned JFK speech earlier. The point is, that once you realize your opportunities, you choose your goal, then you need to have the courage to start. There are (there should be) unanswered questions. They are what makes it your path and a great success. Like JFK knew that they didn’t have all the answers that day. But they knew the strengths they had, the determination to go forward and the stamina to get around the barriers! Like the Chinese say, if there is a will, there is a way. What is your (maybe hidden) real will?

What if you start to look at the world differently? What will you loose? What are the risks? Lets look at this the other way too; what if you don’t do anything? Will you be among those, who in the retirement home are sad because ”I should at least have tried”? Stepping out of your comfort zone is an opportunity and does not kill your old comfort zone.

My experience of having worked with over a 1000 people and studied the Talent Quotient development solutions is all just to help you. Get in touch, you’ve only got something to win!