ABOUT THE INTELLECTION TALENT THEME
In my younger days, I developed an interest in philosophy. I found it interesting to study the different schools of thought. The goal was to understand how humans think and how we can approach the same topic in various ways.
Although that interest dropped off as I grew up, the underlying desire to think and reflect carried on. This trait of mine is best described by the Intellection theme. Gallup describes the Intellection theme as people who like mental activity. Just as athletes love to work out, increasing their physical fitness, I love to check in at the ‘mental’ gym, building up my ‘mental muscles’.
Gallup notes that people with the Intellection theme are introspective, and like to spend time alone to think. The degree of focus in the thoughts can be more ambiguous, depending on the nature of the topic. I am filled with many random thoughts throughout the day. On the other hand, focused thoughts, such as those aimed at solving at a specific problem, take up significant brain juice. I enjoy having a mix of both types of thought. The former allows me to explore new ideas and concepts, while the latter allows me to add value to the situation at hand by bringing on a perspective that is carefully thought out.
POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS
People with the Intellection theme can be useful in situations that require high-level strategic thinking. They will love it if you throw them an intellectual challenge, even more so if it is within their area of interest. In the corporate world, these people can be active contributors to the existing strategy, or thought leaders who forge a new way of thinking.
POSSIBLE WEAKNESSES
As mentioned earlier, the Intellection theme does not distinguish between the levels of thought – it merely describes people who like to think. One obvious pitfall of this is to succumb to a wide variety of low-level thoughts. Others may find this scattered, giving an impression that you are disorganised as a person. Another possible weakness would be that ideas and thoughts remain ‘on paper’, as most of them are theoretical without any real life implications. I think that is a tragedy.
INTELLECTION AT WORK
As a Leader / Employer
– Your company may be reliant on you for strategic planning at the highest levels. If so, congratulations! Recognise the need to think wide and deep at the same time to anticipate all possible scenarios.
– Since you need time in solitude for your thoughts, schedule times where people should not disturb you. It can be very difficult to do so in open office environments so make advance plans for setting a timing and location.
– If you lead a team of intellectuals, you can be sure that they will challenge you on your thought process. This will happen especially for important and controversial decisions. Be ready to communicate this in a way that they can understand. You are still the boss at the end, but if you can get everyone’s buy-in by spending some time detailing the thought process behind your decision, then why not?
As a Follower / Employee
– Find other people who enjoy the same level of intellectual discussion. Build up relationships with the thought leaders of your industry to learn from them.
– If your superior does not possess the Intellection theme, help them understand your need to spend time alone for deeper thought. In addition, be careful not to let others perceive this behaviour to be anti-social or eccentric. I find that going out of your way to let colleagues know about this side of you can be very helpful. For example, if I am at a specific corner of the pantry at this specific time every week, colleagues can be sure that I am working on something that requires concentration and will stay clear (unless the matter is very urgent).
THEME PAIRINGS FOR INTELLECTION
Some of the themes that pair well with Intellection are:
- Activator – The result of focused thinking should be a plan or a course of action. People with the Activator theme will push to get these tangible, ‘next step’ items out.
- Communication – The constant mental debate for someone with Intellection can be a very messy place. You may be sure of your thoughts internally, but are you able to let others understand it as well? Partnering with someone who can crystallise these thoughts into a coherent language can be tremendously helpful.
