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When I was seven, my elementary school gave me a test to determine my IQ. The results would dictate where I should be assigned for my future education years and whether I qualified for the “gifted and talented” program.
Once the results arrived, I noticed something odd. People started to change. They started to act differently. I didn’t understand what was happening, but adults were often confusing and illogical, so I initially ignored it.
But then I noticed that the adults were segmenting students based on their test scores, which created interesting aftershocks in the student population. Some students started to feel superior, some students regressed, others acted out, and a rare few were oblivious.
It seemed unfair that the adults were deciding for us how smart we were and then forcing us into educational boxes. This was the first moment of severe tension I experienced with the education system I grew up in.
As years passed, I started to see more and more adult segmentation. First it was the athletes, then the musicians, and it continued to the point where the students started to segment themselves. By the time I was in high school, everyone was segmented and stereotyped.
These arbitrary segmentations led to capricious behaviors on the part of students and teachers ill-equipped to handle a system thrust upon them by earlier generations. Once I realized what was happening, I chose to not join any segmented groups and never align myself with any labels.
This meant I did not make deep friendships in my early school years. I tended to bounce around and learn about all types of people. I found there to be interesting and intriguing people in all walks of life. It seemed people were all smart in different ways.
In my 20s, I participated in a work training about emotional quotient (EQ). I found the concept illuminating. I started to observe people and realize that many had high levels of emotional intelligence, even without the label.
Throughout my life, I have met many talented people. Some are crazy smart in the IQ way, and others are amazing at EQ. But hold on, there are people amazing at art, design, and spatial reasoning. Some are super athletes, others have incredible self discipline, some are super focused and work hard, some are thoughtful and intentional, others are great at music, and the list continues.
Why does IQ or even EQ get so much attention? Perhaps it’s because we had archaic systems thrust upon us when we were young, and we adapted to those systems and conformed. Maybe there are other reasons. It is an interesting case study for the future.
I posit that we should avoid labeling people’s intelligence, capabilities, and any other part of them. We should support them and help them to thrive in an environment that respects what they bring to the table. This may mean that not mean all people can work in every type of organization. Some will have specific sweet spots. However, when we don’t label people and empower the individual, we can envision a better future for them, and they can see that for themselves. They can find their balance and purpose.
Each one of us can help make the change. We can create spaces where IQ or EQ don’t matter, and where people are valued for their individual strengths and capabilities—and for their ability to perform needed work for great organizations around the globe.
So my question to you is, will you help foster this change?
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