Types of Intelligence - Which is the most important for a PM and why?

Dear Joao,

Yes agreed. It also reminds me of the 4 P's of Marketing - Price, Product, Promotion and Place and how that applies to project management.

Daire

I wonder what naturalistic intelligence is defined per H Gardner? If ‘intuition’ is part of it then in my (likely) limited knowledge it would have overlapped with emotional intelligence but the good thing is I feel proud to have quite a few in the list and think many of us here are too which collectively can be ‘the most’ important, it all depends! :-)

Dear João
After thinking for a while, I consider it important to include Carol Dweck's proposal in Mindset in the types of intelligence:
- Fixed Mindset
- Growth Mindset

João , this is good topic,

I will not align for the common thought, and for me the most important is the practical intelligence of Robert Sternberg , independent of the degree of each kind of intelligence each person possesses is important to have the ability to apply, use and implement what you know.

For me this is determinant in being successful , It’s the ability to think on your feet in everyday dilemmas that require immediate solutions.

Alexandre

Hi Suzi,

Melissa Kelly's article on thoughtco(dot)com regarding Naturalistic Intelligence states on the first paragraph:
"Naturalist intelligence is one of researcher Howard Gardner's nine multiple intelligences. This particular intelligence that involves how sensitive an individual is to nature and the world. People who excel in this intelligence typically are interested in growing plants, taking care of animals or studying animals or plants. Zookeepers, biologists, gardeners, and veterinarians are among those that Gardner sees as having high naturalist intelligence."

I believe that this type of Intelligence is important for a PM only in cases of certain specific contexts (project domain, cultural aspects, etc).

Regards

I would also rate inter-personal , linguistic and emotional intelligence above the rest. A project manager would be able to confront problems better if he/she is aware, has foresight and can take critical decisions.

In my personal experience, I have found that for me to be a successful PM I must be aware of the environment around me, and the relationships (or lack thereof) within the team. It's essential to pay attention to the body languange and roles/titles of the people engaged. Some personalities don't detect small signals from the audience that indicate confusion or lack of understanding; and those may be very important signals to capture such that everyone is on the same page and "present". It is helpful to notice these signals, as there may be some people who are not comfortable or don't get the opportunity to ask questions in front of group so those team members can be recognized and given the option to ask, or be noted as ones who should be followed up with post-discussion to ensure input is received.

The inter/intra personal and emotional intelligence are my "go-to"s. It's important that I can talk/understand the technical language of my industry, however, my role is to lead the technical team to successful implementation of the assigned or derived solution.

Good to know Joao thanks for the update!