Many employees believe one needs to be intellectually gifted to succeed at their jobs. I disagree. But I say this with qualification. It depends what type of job you have. But for the vast majority, I don’t believe you need to be a genius to be good at your job and to be valued by your employer.
While being intelligent is a plus, possessing superior intelligence is not necessary to be good at one’s job. It’s more important to be attentive, observant, open, proactive and to possess the ability to communicate clearly.
As an employer, I am often exasperated by the inattention and inability of many employees to listen, learn and communicate effectively. Many problems arise because employees don’t pay attention. When asked a question, they respond nonsensically.
Me: Is it raining out there?
Staff: There are very few customers.
Me: Was the customer angry?
Staff: He didn’t buy anything.
Me: Can we use the credit card machine?
Staff: We are not using it.
Me: Can we accept debit cards?
Staff: No one paid with a debit card.
When asked a question, listen intently. Focus your attention on the speaker and the question. Resist the urge to immediately reply. Do not interrupt. Let them finish their thoughts. Clarify if you don’t understand. Think. Make sure you understand the question before responding.
The rule of thumb in social settings when you are unsure how to behave is to look to the host for direction. You can also look to the other guests you hold in high regard for guidance.
In the work setting, it is the same. When you’re new and unsure how to conduct yourself, the rule of thumb is to look, listen and learn. Observe carefully how your superiors or colleagues conduct themselves.
The ability to pay close attention to things, people and surroundings is crucial in knowing how to do things correctly, how to anticipate the needs of others, how to spot potential problems, how to interact with others, how to prevent mistakes and misunderstandings.
A keen observer can learn more from one’s own powers of observation than from a company rule book. One can also get more honest feedback from close observation than from data collected in forms.
Many people, these days, have lost the capacity to pay attention. It may be the mobile phone, among many other devices, that has contributed to attentiveness’ demise.
These constant notifications wreck one’s focus if not one’s peace. They make people hyper-aware of too many things around them — things that don’t really require their constant attention. Instead of managing by exception, people are now managing by excess.
A multitude of open tabs on our gadgets is now the norm. But outside of our gadgets, multi-tasking, while useful, can also be harmful. It can cause us to spread ourselves too thinly so that we end up discontented, exhausted, unable to focus on the more important things.
This could be why we have lost the capacity to listen and to respond accurately and sensibly. This could be why we have lost the ability to do something so simple as relay a message or follow instructions.
Very few people, these days, can repeat something they’ve heard — quite accurately, without addition, subtraction or a change of tone. Often, in the process of retelling, facts are pulverized. Truth dies in the fog of fiction. Communication breakdowns are a result of a pattern of inattention and the loss of one’s capacity to listen, observe and learn.
Genius is rare, not always useful or valuable. But the ability to pay attention never loses luster because when you pay attention, you communicate, accomplish tasks and build relationships, better.
Intelligence is a gift but attentiveness is a super power.