ABSTRACT

Questions of the role that intelligence plays in leadership are old ones. Are the smartest individuals most likely to obtain positions of leadership? Are bright leaders the most effective leaders? Is a high IQ a prerequisite for leaders? While high-level leaders in politics, business, and social movements certainly seem smart, and appear to be well above average in intelligence, skeptics note that there have been prominent leaders of average (and perhaps even below average) intelligence. Moreover, many of our greatest intellectual minds are in the sciences, research, and education, and they neither obtain nor even pursue positions of leadership. So, what is the connection between intelligence and leadership?