Intelligence is of diverse types. No one was born without a level of intelligence. I have come across some persons who were not privileged to go through the four walls of a formal education because they thought they did not have the intellectual capacity to read and write. But they do in the real sense.

I have come to understand that not everyone may have the opportunity to study in a formal educational environment, however, there are various ways you can be educated. In some developed countries, the criteria of success are not based on the value of education, rather the skills you have.

This is not an opinion to the fact that education is not good, but my point is that it should not be determined as a major criterion for success or achievements in life. I have met some successful business owners who did not acquire any formal education. They improved their skills and applied their intelligence. The end result has been success.

Intelligence can be useless if you don’t put it to use. You can have all the degrees but if you don’t put it to work, of what value is it? Whereas a person who is intelligent, but did not have the opportunity to attend a school would effectively use it and become a success.

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According to human psychologists, there exist four major types of intelligence.
1) Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
2) Emotional Quotient (EQ)
3) Social Quotient (SQ)
4) Adversity Quotient (AQ)

Let us talk about them.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

This is the most talked about in a formal education setting. Most people believe that if you have the capacity to comprehend, solve equations, memorize things and recall subject matters, then you must be intelligent.

I beg to differ on this aspect. For instance, I am not good at memorizing things. I prefer a read to understand approach, rather, memorise for a purpose. In fact, I must commend those who naturally memorise and do not forget. But does that mean people under my category are not intelligent? No!

This is applicable to teachers and parents who detest children that apply their level of intelligence to somewhere else other than memorizing, calculations and ability to understand some topics or subjects quickly compared to their classmates.

I think it is the responsibility of parents and teachers to help and guide their wards on how to develop their intelligence and confidently channel it to where it will propel them into achieving more for themselves and the society.

Emotional Quotient (EQ)

EQ is quite important because it cuts across all humans irrespective of your level of education, social status and age. We all need this kind of intelligence to deal with one another and maintain a sane environment. Personally, I don’t appreciate when someone intrudes in my privacy. Respect is reciprocal and thus, must be strictly observed by everyone both young and old.

However, I understand that there are some people whose emotional intelligence level differ and may not be able to apply it at all situations. It is therefore pertinent that they do all they can to study their present environment or individuals before they take any action.

Another angle to this is the emotional ability to understudy the other party’s emotions before you commence a discussion. This is common among friends, colleagues at work and even in the family.

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Social Quotient (SQ)

Society has taught people the ability to connect, network and maintain it for a very long time. This also has a connection with your temperament. While it is comfortable for some to build a strong and cordial relationship with others; it may not be for others.
Some people are naturally intelligent in keeping up with contacts and they make you feel like you have known them for decades – this is definitely another level of intelligence.

As a salesperson, marketer or business owner, social intelligence is highly required to grow your brand and make profits.  It is believed that people that have higher EQ and SQ tend to go farther in life than those with high IQ but low EQ and SQ. Most schools capitalize on improving IQ level while EQ and SQ are played down.

A man of high IQ can end up being employed by a man of high EQ and SQ even though he has an average IQ. Your EQ represents your character; while your SQ represents your charisma.

Give in to habits that will improve these three Qs but more especially your EQ and SQ. EQ and SQ make one manage better than the other. Parents should not only teach their children to have excellent IQ, but also improve their EQ and SQ.

The Adversity Quotient (AQ)

This is a new paradigm shift in the levels of intelligence. AQ gives you the ability to go through the hurdles and patches of life without giving up or losing your mind. In recent times, the rate of suicide and attempted suicide increased with reasons of the victims not been able to cope with difficult situations and challenges of life.

Parents should be able to teach their children how to scale through life hurdles without losing their mind. This is because as they grow up, they would encounter various challenges that would make them stronger and better.

Not all challenges are meant to break a person down into a bad state of wellbeing. Parents should expose their children to other areas of life than academics. They should adore manual work (never use work as a form of punishment), sport and art.

Develop their EQ, SQ and AQ. They should become multifaceted human beings able to do things independently of the parents.

These four major types of intelligence are all required to live a life that would spread across various stages and phases. As an individual, you need these levels of intelligence.