In this book, Menkes introduces and then examines the cognitive abilities that top business performers have, abilities “which make them different from the rest of us”; he critiques how–and why–experts have overlooked these abilities, instead “flooding the market with methods and theories that are gravely inadequate when it comes to differentiating business talent”; he explains what Executive Intelligence (“a unique form of business smarts”) is and how it is measured; finally, he explains how Executive Intelligence (EI) can be taught. Decision-makers in all organizations (regardless of size or nature) will welcome the rigorous analysis Menkes provides of each of the components of three areas of EI: tasks, other people, and oneself.
At its highest level of development, EI consists of knowledge and skills that can be acquired through education, experience, and refinement/adjustment throughout repetition of application. Menkes insists that what he calls “star leaders” are those who attain and then continue to function at that level. They have superior cognitive and analytical abilities. Therefore, they know what must be done and how to do it both effectively and efficiently. They function exceptionally well with and through others because they communicate, cooperate, and collaborate successfully. They also demonstrate what Daniel Goleman characterizes as “emotional intelligence,” a combination of empathy, compassion, sensitivity, and basic integrity. “Star leaders” are also, as Erik Erikson would describe it, comfortable living inside their own bodies, being themselves. Menkes insists that almost anyone can become a “star leader” if sufficiently self-motivated and provided with the support and assistance which are required by the development process. As he notes, “People can enhance their abilities to perform well, indeed much better at work. But first they need to know what the specific aptitudes are that they should improve – the very skills that make legendary CEOs so much more effective than their peers. My research gives people a roadmap for getting from here to there. Without [such a roadmap], they would be searching endlessly for an unnamed destination.”
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