MEDIA RELEASE - MARCH 2002

NEW "INTELLIGENCE" THEORY CHALLENGES SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

Research over the years into the functioning of the brain has been responsible for a whole barrage of theories about how we can develop our intelligence, just how many intelligences there are, and how they are defined. And now, there is a possibility that not only are we capable of developing several of our intelligences, but indeed there is a distinct "intelligence", which we need to develop in order to be able to run a small business successfully. This has been coined by Suzanne Weatherburn, from the "Small Business Intelligence"™ Service, a business education & marketing subscription service, which serves to facilitate entrepreneurial education, as well as provide bulk buying advertising discounts for its members in Australia.

The Background of "Intelligence" Studies

Naturally, from as far back as the Greeks, the notion of intelligence has been the subject of many a discussion. (It was notable that the Greeks felt that the heart, and not the brain was responsible for the "thinking" that we all do).

But moving on to more recent times many of us may all remember, in the 60's & 70's, the notion of IQ (Intelligence Quotient) hit the popularity stakes, especially in the education & employment sector of our economy. Things seemed relatively simple and clear-cut.

Either you were above average, below average or intellectually superior or "challenged". In every instance, we were labelled and intelligence was quantified. Who knows what untold damage this may have done to many individuals' lives?

As time went by, more recent research has shed light on the notion that intelligence cannot really be "quantified" (thank goodness!), and that it is highly likely that the nature of intelligence is complex and that there are many types of intelligence to be developed.

At the same time, most sociologists studying the nature/nurture issues have reasonably settled on the probability that both your environment and your chemical make-up you are born with, can contribute to the way you develop and grow as a human being, both physically and mentally.

Firstly, we must acknowledge the fact that learning is essential for intelligence to develop.

Secondly, we have to admit that learning theory is complex. We need to take into account Bloom's taxonomy and Maslow's human "hierarchy of needs", (which specified that various needs had to be met in order of importance, for learning to effectively take place). It is a veritable minefield of theories and notions surrounding the nature of learning and the development of intellect.

Thirdly, what has emerged is a number of theorists who have laid claim to the nature of intelligence. Largely, that human intelligence has many dimensions, and that in every individual, there are dominant intelligences which have been developed more than others. The most exciting fact to emerge by far, is that we can develop our own intelligence/s and we can take responsibility for doing so!

Multiple Intelligences Theory

These multiple dimensions of human intelligence were explored by many academics. Professor Howard Gardner of Harvard University, for example, discussed a "multiple intelligences" theory in his book "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences", initially published in 1983.

According to Gardner's theory, he identified eight different kinds of human intelligences, but left the door open for further investigation into the existence of even more intelligences. Gardner's work implied that if we can recognize our strengths and weaknesses in the different intelligences, we also have control on the outcome of our achievements within human creative endeavour.

Buzan & Keene, went on to isolate a "creative" intelligence, amongst the ten intelligences that they identified in the book "Buzan's Book of Genius".

It is interesting to note, that our education systems, and the traditional measurement of IQ as many of us knew it, only tested two intelligences - linguistic & logical-mathematical.

Financial Intelligence Theory

In his bestselling book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", Robert Kyosaki first coined the phrase "financial intelligence". He insisted that we can, and need to, develop our financial intelligence if we are to achieve financial security and a better life through developing "passive" income streams.

This theory made so much sense, that it is not a wonder that it was on many world-wide "best-seller" lists for more than a year. And the finance industry has largely adopted it holus/bolus in their ever - challenging role of giving financial advice to the uninitiated, (which is most of us!)

Of course, "emotional intelligence", as well as "NLP" theory, have both gained in popularity most recently, with seminars and courses abounding in these topics.

Small Business Intelligence ™ Theory

It is a commonly quoted fact, that in running a small business, only 15% of entrepreneurs have a track record of more than five years of survival, and only 5% actually thrive, or could be termed as "highly successful" in business.

Suzanne Weatherburn, from the "Small Business Intelligence"™ Service, has put forward the theory that actually there is an "intelligence" involved in running a small business successfully.

The way it works is fascinating. Apparently, developing one's knowledge base first, will in turn, create the birth of this intuition, which few people are ever able to develop, because they do not devlop the knowledge base far enough. "There seems to suddenly be an insight, or "gut feeling" about business decisions to be made, which wasn;t there at the beginning!" says Suzanne.

The good news is, that all entrepreneurs have the potential to succeed, according to this theory, but they must take certain steps seriously, if they are to do so.

And herein lies the catch! We are a society embroiled in "instant gratification" and long term goals/rewards are rarely pursued by most of us. Rather, people tend to settle for "instant" results, and in doing so, often abandon the "bigger picture"!

Suzanne started her career in the education sector for fifteen years, and has been involved in running small businesses for the past 18 years. She recently made the stark realization, that the more she learned from other successful entrepreneurs, the more was the impact on the success of her own commercial endeavours. The link had been made and the theory was born from experience and direct observation of other successful entrepreneurs.

"The key to success in small business is the conscious decision to educate yourself by learning from other successful entrepreneurs, or developing your small business intelligence™", says Suzanne, who goes on to say: "The good news is, that as small business owners in Australia today, we are like teenagers, bursting with potential. But only those small business owners who take that step, (we hope more than 5%), will actually thrive."

Suzanne is happy to discuss her theory of "small business intelligence"™ further with anyone who would care to do so. In fact, she thrives on this kind of discussion and finding out what others think and believe! She can be contacted through the web site at www.smallbusinessintelligence.com or via email: suzanne@creativeknowhow.com.au