Comments on: Other Lobe Thinking as It Applies to Rules: To Follow or Not to Follow

By: Swapna Rao

Swapna Rao — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:58:35 +0000

This article strikes a chord with many of us working in large institutions, many of which are meant to serve the public but by virtue of their vast size and scope, simply cannot do so adequately with a one-size-fits-all approach. A case in point would be the “No Child Left Behind Act” - a plan that I believe to have been well-intentioned in purpose but faulty in practical application. I can definitely speak from experience about the internal discord one feels when adhering to a set of rules stemming from an impractical philosophy when trying to do your job. I strongly agree that ‘careful’ rule-breaking is vital; dismissing all rules as being stifling will lead to chaos. I really like the idea of “practical intelligence” Jim Stellar mentioned since it is not enough to have visions and it is not enough to understand details. Both must be integrated. I actually believe that content knowledge, a.k.a. ‘the basics’ or ‘a foundation’, is necessary for one to be useful in an experiential opportunity. Once some sort of foundation is established, further content development and experiential education can mutually develop one’s overall education.

By: Jim Stellar

Jim Stellar — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:05:48 +0000

Ashley and Sue, Thank you. Cynthia and I have written other posts about leadership and I suppose it really could all be boiled down to “practical intelligence” learned from interacting with people by folks who have the capacity to think with the other lobe of the brain beyond the lobe that can learn and remember all of the formal rules. One aspect of this general idea is a question I have about how much does learning the rules play in setting up the frame for the practical intellgence to manipulate or break those same rules. It seems to me that in higher education, one needs to have a certain amount of content knowledge to have a productive experiential reaction even if it is to switch one’s major away from that field, but especially if it is to deepen one’s passion for the field. What do you think. Is content knowledge the “cart” one has to put before the “horse,” or can it be the other way around?
-Jim

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:51:23 +0000

Jim, I loved this post. I agree that while rules are necessary, there are times when the overuse of rules can hog-tie creativity the way a cowboy can drop a steer by yanking its legs out from under it. Sometimes, we need to consider careful rule breaking to foster anything from better morale in workers, to freer creativity.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:29:58 +0000

I am reading another book by Malcolm Gladwell right now, Outliers. I just finished a chapter in which he discusses individuals who possesses both high IQ and practical intelligence, versus those with just as high IQ, or higher, yet no practical intelligence. The genius without practical intelligence was unable to blossom to his full potential or be acknowledged in the academic community because he failed to get people on his side and champion his development. Whereas the genius with both IQ and practical intelligence was able to convince the board in charge of hiring scientists to develop the atomic bomb to hire him, even with the mishap of him trying to POISON his tutor in grad school tainting his resume.

Gladwell explains practical intelligence as something learned over the course of our development. This intelligence is like our social intelligence, the ability to read individuals in unique situations, coming up with the correct way to handle each encounter, to ultimately “get our way.” Those with childhoods featuring numerous sports and social activities, and parents allowing the space for dialogue and decisions to be made, tend to have a higher level of practical intelligence. They were exposed to structure, schedules, and people, far more than those children without any activities.

I think practical intelligence is key to those people who “break” rules in society and “get away” with it. It is a skill, to effortlessly maneuver around structures put in place to hold people in line. And more often than not, it is these practical geniuses who break rules and authority to make change for the better, because frankly not every law is a good one. I like to call practical intelligence the intelligence of change, not of breaking rules.

Obama is an example of someone with enormous practical intelligence. He was the unlikely candidate for the US presidency and yet, there he stands at the White House. He (or his staff) read into the national landscape and knew just how to rally citizens behind him during a time of crumbling nation. Now he is again trying to change the constructs of our nation that hold people back from life and liberty, healthcare most prominently.