Smarts: Are We Hardwired for Success?

241 Pages·2007·3.248 MB·English

by  Chuck Martin, Peg Dawson, Richard Guare

SMARTS
.................16205$ $$FM 10-23-0609:19:21 PS PAGEi
This page intentionally left blank
SMARTS
Are We Hardwired
for Success?
CHUCK MARTIN
PEG DAWSON, ED.D.
RICHARD GUARE, Ph.D.
AMERICAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
New York • Atlanta • Brussels • Chicago • Mexico City
San Francisco • Shanghai • Tokyo • Toronto • Washington, D.C.
.................16205$ $$FM 10-23-0609:19:23 PS PAGEiii
SpecialdiscountsonbulkquantitiesofAMACOMbooksare
availabletocorporations,professionalassociations,andother
organizations.Fordetails,contactSpecialSalesDepartment,
AMACOM,adivisionofAmericanManagementAssociation,
1601Broadway,NewYork,NY10019.
Tel:[phone].Fax:[phone].
E-mail:[email protected]
Website:www.amacombooks.org/go/specialsales
ToviewallAMACOMtitlesgoto:www.amacombooks.org
Thispublicationisdesignedtoprovideaccurateandauthoritative
informationinregardtothesubjectmattercovered.Itissoldwith
theunderstandingthatthepublisherisnotengagedinrendering
legal,accounting,orotherprofessionalservice.Iflegaladviceorother
expertassistanceisrequired,theservicesofacompetentprofessional
personshouldbesought.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Martin,Chuck,1949–
Smarts:arewehardwiredforsuccess?/ChuckMartinPegDawson,RichardGuare.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN-100-8144-0906-7
ISBN-13:978-0-8144-0906-0
1. Executiveability—Testing. I. Dawson,Peg. II. Guare,Richard. III. Title.
HD38.2.M3675 2007
658.4(cid:2)09—dc22
2006029750
(cid:2)2007ChuckMartin,PegDawson,RichardGuare.
Allrightsreserved.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
Thispublicationmaynotbereproduced,
storedinaretrievalsystem,
ortransmittedinwholeorinpart,
inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,
mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,
withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofAMACOM,
adivisionofAmericanManagementAssociation,
1601Broadway,NewYork,NY10019.
Printingnumber
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
.................16205$ $$FM 10-23-0609:19:23 PS PAGEiv
To Teri, my wife, and Ryan and Chase,
my sons, for the understanding, space,
and total support you constantly pro-
vide.
—ChuckMartin
To Steven, who thinks all his Executive
Skills are perfect—and I love him
anyway!
—Peg Dawson
To my wife, Megan, and my children,
Colin and Shannon, for their never-
endingpatienceandwillingnesstolend
their frontal lobes when mine go
missing.
—RichardGuare
.................16205$ $$FM 10-23-0609:19:23 PS PAGEv
This page intentionally left blank
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ........................................... xi
INTRODUCTION ............................................... 1
MatchingStrengthstotheSituation ........................... 2
TheExecutiveSkills ....................................... 4
TheBenefitsofUnderstandingExecutiveSkills .................. 5
FrontalLobesandExecutiveSkills ............................ 7
RailroadAccidentandFrontalLobes .......................... 8
ExecutiveSkillsvs.Personality ............................... 9
HowtoUseThisBook ..................................... 10
Background.............................................. 13
UsingWhatYouHave ..................................... 14
CHAPTER1.TAKINGINVENTORYWITHTHEEXECUTIVESKILLSPROFILE .......... 15
Skill1:Self-Restraint ....................................... 17
Skill2:WorkingMemory ................................... 18
Skill3:EmotionControl .................................... 19
Skill4:Focus ............................................. 20
.................16205$ CNTS 10-23-0609:19:21 PS PAGEvii
viii /CONTENTS
Skill5:TaskInitiation ...................................... 21
Skill6:Planning/Prioritization ............................... 22
Skill7:Organization ....................................... 23
Skill8:TimeManagement .................................. 24
Skill9:DefiningandAchievingGoals .......................... 25
Skill10:Flexibility......................................... 26
Skill11:Observation ....................................... 27
Skill12:StressTolerance .................................... 28
YourUniqueSetofExecutiveSkills ........................... 29
CHAPTER2.COMBINATIONSOFEXECUTIVESKILLSANDTHEEFFORTFULTASK ..... 30
WhatYourStrengthsLookLike .............................. 32
TaskEffort .............................................. 41
Don’tSavetheHardestforLast .............................. 44
TypicalCombinationsofSkills ............................... 45
CommonOppositesofSkills ................................ 48
SituationsThatPlaytoCertainCombinationsofExecutiveSkills .... 50
WorkingAgainstType ..................................... 51
CHAPTER3.LEARNINGTOPLAYTOYOURSTRENGTHS ..................... 53
ExecutiveSkillsCapacity:TrappedbySuccess ................... 56
GoodnessofFit........................................... 58
RankingExecutiveSkills .................................... 59
TaskSkillsRequiredComparedtoYourExecutiveSkills ........... 60
AssessingProjectTeamFit .................................. 61
AssessingManagementTeamFit ............................. 65
WhenStrengthsMeetStrengths .............................. 66
.................16205$ CNTS 10-23-0609:19:22 PS PAGEviii
CONTENTS/ix
WhenStrengthsMeetWeaknesses ............................ 66
ExecutiveSkillsandMeetings ................................ 68
InterviewingforthePerfectFitJob ............................ 70
ExecutiveSkillsatHomeorWork ............................ 72
ExternalInfluences ........................................ 76
CHAPTER4.DEALINGWITHYOURWEAKNESSES ......................... 78
NotLivingaLie .......................................... 79
CharacteristicsofYourWeaknesses ........................... 80
Don’tCountonNegativeFeedback ........................... 83
TheTrueFailuretoCommunicate ............................ 86
BetheFirsttoHighlightYourWeakness ....................... 91
AShortListforShortcomings ............................... 92
ChangeBehaviors:ImprovingEnoughtoGetBy ................. 93
ChangetheEnvironment ................................... 95
ComplementYourWeakness ................................ 98
YouAREtheCoach ....................................... 99
CHAPTER5.MANAGINGEXECUTIVESKILLSINOTHERS ..................... 101
DecidingWhattoChange................................... 105
IdentifyingStrengthsandWeaknessesinOthers.................. 106
BehavioralandEnvironmentalChange......................... 112
SolutionsforSpecificExecutiveSkillsWeaknesses ................ 117
UndertheGun ........................................... 141
CHAPTER6.MATCHINGTASKSTOPEOPLE’SEXECUTIVESKILLS ............... 143
HowWellJobsMatch ...................................... 145
FindingtheRightMatch .................................... 146
.................16205$ CNTS 10-23-0609:19:22 PS PAGEix