When looking at job performance, using one’s abilities will lead to higher performance and achieving company goals. Abilities relate to “an individual’s current capacity to perform the various tasks of the job….essentially made of two sets of factors: intellectual and physical.” (Robbins & Judge, 2020, pg. 31).
To tap into your abilities, you must know what they are so you can use them effectively, and be the most productive that you can.There are 7 types of intellectual abilities, which will be discussed in this post.
Abilities with intellect include those related to thinking, reasoning, and solving problems; these do not always involve having a high IQ but being able to function in each of the categories. So here are the 7 with a brief explanation of each:
- Number Aptitude: the relates to the ability to do math-related issues, such as determining the number of hours a project will take or the sales tax on an item
- Verbal Comprehension: this ability relates to understanding what you read and how they relate to other words or phrases, such as following directions on a goal or directive
- Perceptual Speed: this ability relates to recognizing similarities and differences quickly and with accuracy; an example would include a team member identifying the problem that the team has been struggling with
- Inductive Reasoning: this involves the ability to the sequence of a problem and then finding a solution to solve it, such as dealing with an employee issue that relates to performance
- Deductive Reasoning: this is the ability to use logic and the sides of an argument; for example, with an employee issue, this would be looking at both sides of the situation to negotiate a solution
- Spatial Visualization: this ability relates to using the imagination to see the situation or object in a differing space, such as seeing a better way to set up one’s office space with less clutter
- Memory: having recall and retention of information falls under this ability, such as reading a direction and being able to follow them, and in the future
Being efficient in these 7 intellects will bring more success, although it does not relate to being happier on the job or more satisfaction (Ganzach, 2003). However, this will make you more efficient and more confident in your ability to do the job.
Go through the list and see how you stack up. I am not great with numbers and have difficulty, at times, with remembering names, but my visualization for situations helps me to connect with clients easily, along with the others on the list. When you know your strongest abilities, you can take full advantage of them, while working on the ones not as strong. This is a good exercise to do with a team so you can balance the input from members.
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