Smarts: Are We Hardwired for Success?

AORN Journal, June, 2008 by Julie Thompson

Smarts: Are We Hardwired for Success?

Chuck Martin, Peg Dawson, and Richard Guare

AMACOM

2007, 240 pages

$21.95 hardcover

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If you have ever wondered why some people are always late or why some people have a better memory than you, then this is the book for you. Twelve skills are discussed in this book, each deemed essential to continued success in the workplace. The authors reason that no individual person can be the master of all 12 skills; therefore, they identify and assist readers in maximizing their strengths based on cognitive development and neuropsychology research.

The book adheres to the premise that everyone has acquired these 12 fully developed, essentially unchangeable, cognitive functions--labeled "executive skills,"--by the time they reach young adulthood. These traits are called executive skills because they help people execute tasks. The authors teach readers how to determine which skills are their strongest and which are their weakest.

The book includes a self-assessment questionnaire, profiles of the executive skills, examples of how some executive skills work together and how they are applied, guidance regarding the management of executive skills in others, and strategies for taking advantage of strengths. The following executive skills help people execute tasks, regulate decision-making, control emotions, and determine success or failure on the job:

* self-restraint,

* working memory,

* emotional control,

* focus,

* task initiation,

* planning / prioritization,

* organization,

* time management,

* defining/achieving goals,

* flexibility,

* observation, and

* stress tolerance.

This well-written, well-organized book clarifies what most astute professionals already suspect about themselves and others in the workplace. The book provides tools to help readers gain a deeper understanding of an individual's skill set and offers concrete suggestions about how to manage around weaknesses while leveraging strengths. Mastery of these skills by those who comprise the workforce within a given organization, regardless of its size or nature, will enable the organization to derive substantial improvement of its productivity, quality, employee recruitment, employee retention, training, teamwork, competitive edge, reduction of stress, meetings, operational execution, and information management.

JULIE THOMPSON

PHD, RN, CNS, CNOR

ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR

RESEARCH AND SPONSORED PROGRAMS

HARRIS COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT

HOUSTON, TX