Contextual intelligence

Have you ever wished you had a “silver bullet” interview question that could cut through all the rehearsed responses that candidates have today and give you a reliable predictor of success?

At the heart of every successful enterprise lies one clear driver. It’s not a clever idea, a product, a patent, the perfect location or access to capital—the first four are pretty common and, if they’re good, they lead automatically to the fifth—even in today’s economic climate.

In preparation for a course on leadership I will be conducting this autumn, I was reviewing a speech given by Dr. Daniel Goleman. Goleman is the former New York Times Science Editor and a columnist on brain science.

In working with people as a coach for more than thirty years and in being a student of human nature for more than fifty years, I have been very fortunate and at times perplexed.

The idea for this column came from a conversation I was having several years ago with Jim Amos, the CEO of what was then the world’s largest non-food franchiser, Mail Boxes, Etc.

I have been fascinated with the concept of emotional intelligence since childhood. I would observe the impact certain people would have on others—their mood, their efforts in what they did whether it was doing a daily chore at home or a job-related task.

Over the years, in working with people who were in a certain type of transition—starting a new job—much of our time, initially, was spent on dealing with the angst of making the transition or change.

Say good-bye to the knowledge-based economy. Knowledge is everywhere. We are awash in a sea of knowledge. It is a commodity today. Say hello to the Wisdom-based Economy.

Basic assumption: your interest is in building a career and not on short-term economics. If this is not your interest this is where you can stop reading and get up to pour another cup of coffee before moving on to the want ads.

Conducting a competent, thorough reference is a critical element in making the right hiring decision.