Wisdom Vs. IQ + Assertive Leadership

• “The time is always right to do what is right.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
• “You can’t escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” – Abraham Lincoln
• “Any man’s life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day.” – Booker T. Washington

This week we sought to explore the difference between wisdom and IQ. We discussed important cognitive abilities that take place in our minds but don’t show up on tests of intelligence.

Students were exposed to definitions regarding the following words related to wisdom:

1. Sound Judgment (using available evidence instead of fixed views)

2. Tolerance For Uncertainty (patience finding an answer/delaying the need for “cognitive closure”) 

3. Rationality (managing your resources and behaviors in a realistic way that leads to success)

4. Practicality (common sense versus mere brain power)

5. Awareness of bias (understand humans are biased and have faulty logic - can you spot yours?)

6. Open-mindedness (gather a lot of information before settling on one way of doing things)

Then we discussed exercises related to increasing our capacity for wisdom:

1. Narrow in on main ideas and apply them. At the end of each day, ask what was the most important thing you learned. Try to explain it to someone else or journal about it. Make a plan to apply it instead of it only existing in your mind.

2. Contemplate. Pick complex and seemingly unsolvable problems and questions. Consider them anyway. Engage in deep thought alone and with others while thinking outside the box. 

3. Look for and solve simple problems. Think like an inventor from the past. Find boring things that go wrong throughout the day and consider how they could be fixed (solutions for lost sunglasses, annoying background sounds, etc.)

4. Seek out information about people who live differently than you do (think like an anthropologist). Seek stories about people whose lives you couldn’t even imagine. Be open to change as you learn about the world.

5. Volunteer. Improve the lives of those around you. Don’t expect anything in return other than an experience to contemplate while enriching your life and theirs.

Optional journal activity:

- What else would you add to this list?

- What characteristics do you notice in the wisest people you know?

- Out of the six characteristics related to wisdom (above), which one do you think is the most important for wisdom and why? If you had to go about “ranking them,” how would you do it? What would come first and last. Why?

 “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” - William James

Go Deeper: Assertive Leadership

While discussing wisdom, we took a little time to discuss leadership. Specifically pertaining to giftedness, we discussed why students with intense emotions may swing on a pendulum between nonassertive responses and aggressive responses, but luckily assertiveness is a balanced approach that can be learned. 

Part of this learning takes place in the form of “I” messages. We discussed this useful template:

I feel (or think).... when…. I would like….. 

Another way to be assertive and speak up for what you need is to use the GO FOR IT acronym. 

G - Gather information: Write down facts and observations about the situation you would like to change.

O - Observe yourself: How will you stay mindful and calm if you approach someone about making this change?

F: Figure out who can make the change or help you make the change: Who are the adults and friends you should reach out to?

O: Offer facts and observations to these people: What two or three sentences succinctly and accurately describe the situation?

R: Report how the current situation impacts you and others. Use the “I” message template above. 

I: Include solutions: Write down solutions you can offer (don’t offer only complaints).

T: Thank them for listening or considering the change.

I hope students practice the above information the next time they are in a situation they would like to change. Effective assertiveness can help students navigate situations effectively and obtain relationships/friendships that are satisfying.