In his “On management” column, Andrew Hill of the Financial Times explains the a person’s IQ is not the best way to determine whether an executive will be a successful manager. In fact, Microsoft’s Bill Gates agrees, saying, “[Understanding] sales and management seems to be negatively correlated with writing good code or understanding physics equations.” Of course, some might view this remark as ironic considering Gates himself did well at writing code and managing.
Further, Hill points to the pressure CEOs feel to appear all-knowing, saying that this is because “their public appearances—the analyst briefing, the television interview, the conference panel—place unrealistic pressure on imperfect individuals to demonstrate perfect knowledge.”
To solve this, Gates suggests that organizations should recruit from 3 different “IQ pools…mixing managers with scientific understanding, business analytics, and a passion for being out in the field.” Because as Hill points out, “leading [organizations] in any other way would be plain stupid.”
