The column "Leadership Whiteboard" provides a short visual leadership coaching moment. It introduces and explains a new sketch in each issue, provides leadership coaching for further development, and shares a leadership quote and recommended resources.
Leadership Whiteboard: The Sharpest Knife in the Drawer
By Ron Hunter Jr., Ph.D.
Does the idea of taking an IQ test bring back memories of red ink, like when your high school teacher handed back test results? High IQs conjure up luminaries of intellect. Names like Einstein and Oppenheimer float to the surface of our thoughts. Being around someone with superior intellect can be intimidating. Yet, in the sacred pages of Proverbs, wisdom — a treasure beyond mere knowledge — is held in high esteem, encompassing discernment and the judicious application of knowledge.
Brilliance does not equal leadership capacity. In fact, while the world benefits from the theories and inventions of minds such as Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, and Marie Curie, few of these Mensa minds ever led any organizations or groups of people. The brilliance of missionary William Carey was less about missions and more about his linguistic genius in translating Scripture into numerous languages.
Studies by Howard Gardner expanded the study of intelligence into multiple categories including: linguistic, musical, critical evaluation, interpersonal (emotional — often referred to as EI or EQ), among others. John Maxwell simplified the idea of emotional intelligence when quoting Theodore Roosevelt: “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Ben Mandrell, CEO of Lifeway, recently noted at a leadership conference that, in school, the measure of effectiveness is 75% IQ (knowledge) and 25% EQ (emotional intelligence or people skills), but when we reach the real world, the numbers flip for effectiveness, 75% EQ and 25% IQ.
Al Mohler places convictional intelligence (CQ) highest of all. CQ is the bedrock of one’s theological and scriptural stance, transcending mere belief to become the compass by which all decisions are charted. A leader must possess not only mental acuity but also emotional wisdom and, most importantly, an unwavering conviction in principles that align with moral and biblical truth.
Perhaps you have heard the old adage, “He may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer.” We must realize true leadership is not about being the sharpest implement but the most utilized. The world seldom seeks the precision of a sharp blade; more often, it seeks the nurturing care of a “spoon” or the practicality of a “butter knife.” Leaders are called not to display their brilliance as a spectacle but to mold and influence correct thought and action through conviction and emotional insight.
In the pastoral epistles, like 1 Timothy, the qualifications for ministry leadership do not emphasize the acuity of a professor but the ability to teach and lead with convictional and interpersonal prowess. In the grand design of God's Kingdom, the sharpest knife is not the instrument of choice; it is the servant leader, guided by wisdom and conviction, who truly makes the cut.
