Cognitive Intelligence

To help remember the four categories of cognitive readiness, we use ACES. This is not only a good way to remember but a good way to understand as one category feeds into the next particularly well, in this order. The C and second category is Cognitive Intelligence.

Cognitive intelligence is an individual’s abilities to learn, remember, reason, solve problems, and make sound judgments.

Essentially this is obtaining general knowledge and most people are decent at this category since they have been doing it most of their lives.

The following covers the topics that people tend to forget about when learning and need to brush up on.

They also piggyback on the previous topic of Attentional Focus, so if you haven’t read that article, consider doing so [here] before progressing through this one.

Now, let's dive in.

Memory:

Without a strong memory you learn nothing.

Memory comes down to concentrating, creating, connecting, and continuous use. What we focus on is what we remember (I warned you that attentional focus was the important first category.)

One key aspect of memory, that most of you don’t do enough of, is sleep. Sleep is literally the time when your brain changes your short-term memories into long-term ones. This is why cramming for your exam the night before, and not getting good sleep, results in you forgetting most of what you studied only a few days later.

And when talking about sleep it isn’t just more - it’s better sleep. You need deep sleep as these transitions happen during deeper phases. And these phases happen many hours after falling asleep.

(This was just a super brief comment on memory since I talk about this topic a lot, so search for ‘memory’ under my blog posts for more. And you can specifically improve your memory even further with this free download: 5 Steps to Your First Memory System)

"The purpose of learning isn’t to affirm our beliefs; it’s to evolve our beliefs." - Adam Grant, Think Again

Transfer of Training:

What good is all that knowledge if you don’t use it.

Transfer of training refers to the influence of prior learning on new learning, either to enhance it or to hamper it. Solving a new problem is usually easier if previously learned principles or components can be applied.

Make your education stick by attaching new learnings to old experiences. As you learn new leadership skills, for example, what previous situations and episodes in your work and life could you have used these new skills? Practice running through those old situations with these new skills. How would you have applied them, what would you have said, and how do you think the other people would have reacted?

By practicing this way, you’ll be prepared for the future. Don’t sit around waiting for the next situation, be ready for the next situation.

To dive further into practicing with Mind Runs, check out this article [here].

Automaticity:

Turn your leadership skills into muscle memory.

Automaticity is a behavior or mental process that can be carried out rapidly and without effort or explicit intention. Just reading the words ‘without effort’ should pique your interest.

You want your leadership and management to be effortless and natural. That’s tough to do when you’re first starting out. Practice is key, and this goes for the veteran leaders too.

People are terrible at recognizing the situations and opportunities in front of them.

Being mindful (attentional focus again) of each situation for what it truly is will help you recognize when to use your knowledge and practice your skills. Seemingly average events are excellent chances to repeat and recall the skills you want to improve.

Mental Flexibility:

You must open your mind to let knowledge in.

Mental flexibility refers to the adaptability and willingness to shift thought patterns to respond to given situations in less regimented ways.

Leadership is about people, and people are unique, different, and quirky. The rigidity you use doing the technical, day-to-day work will not serve you in leadership. In fact, it will hurt you.

Stay open minded, listen, stay curious, and ask questions. Your ability to be inquisitive and gather more information will be the skills that serve you here. Empathy, defined more as compassion and the act of patience, will boost your mental flexibility when dealing with teams of people.

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” - Albert Einstein

Steps Forward:

Most people have strong cognitive intelligence; they can learn, reason, and make sound judgments. Give yourself the edge by improving your transfer of training, automaticity, and mental flexibility.

Remember two key elements of memory: active recall and spaced repetition. After you learn something, to make it stick, take the time to actively recall the information - test yourself and try to use the new information everywhere you can. Repeat this, spaced out over time, and you’ll lodge this new information into your long-term memory.

Transforming your Leadership:

As mentioned, Cognitive Readiness is a set of distinct categories which are highly intertwined.

The category of cognitive intelligence is simple in its foundation but expansive in its detail and connectedness with the other categories. Build your attentional focus and you’ll have a strong jumping off point to strengthen your cognitive intelligence.

That’s a wrap for category two, but make sure you’re subscribed and following along as we still have two more categories to discuss on cognitive readiness. Get ready for the next category - emotional intelligence.