The "intelligence paradox:" when high IQ meets impulsiveness
Featuring my favorite historical example of how disciplined execution beats scattered brilliance every time.
When I was younger, I used to be impressed by people who, in a burst of inspiration, would take dramatic action — work 48 hours straight, book a transatlantic flight for a meeting the next morning or promise the impossible — to achieve their goals.
As someone who prefers a measured, predictable approach (need my 8 hours of sleep!), it made me feel kind of boring.
As it turns out, however, impulsive leaps into action can often be a liability to reaching your goals.
Cue one of my favorite stories about the difference that (boring) discipline and self-control can make.
In 1911, two teams of adventurers were heading separate expeditions toward the South Pole – one led by Roald Amundsen, a methodical Norwegian; the other by Robert Falcon Scott, a brilliant British scientist.
Amundsen was mainly focused on reaching the pole and getting his team back safely.
Scott, however, saw the expedition as a way to secure his place in history and gain prestige for his country.
So what happened?
Amundsen reached the pole first and returned safely with his entire team.
Scott and his men? Not only did they arrive at the pole a full 34 days later, due to a combination of extreme weather conditions, exhaustion and insufficient supplies, they all died on the return journey.
What's relevant here isn't just that Scott failed, but why he failed. Despite his intellectual brilliance and scientific mind, Scott made a series of impulsive decisions:
He split his focus between reaching the pole and conducting career-making scientific research.
He changed their means of transport repeatedly, experimenting with motor sledges, ponies and man-hauling (instead of just sticking to the proven method of dogsleds, like Amundsen did).
He made a last-minute decision to take five men instead of four, which put a strain on supplies.
The Intelligence Paradox
So, what does this mean for founders today? Your intelligence might be enabling your impulsivity.
Yes, typically, high IQ has been associated with self-control (you know, the famous marshmallow experiment), but it’s often not the case.
Because your quick, creative mind—the same one that spots opportunities others miss—is just as good at coming up with clever justifications for following your impulses, like:
"Others just can’t see what I see."
"We need to move fast and break things."
"I trust my gut." (Or, "my intuition is data-driven.")
"No time for analysis paralysis."
The sweet spot for founder success, then, isn't just high IQ or high EQ in isolation, but maximizing their intersection—in this case, where intellectual capacity meets emotional awareness to create self-discipline.
So what does this look like in everyday founder behavior? Check out this “self-control cheat sheet:”
Any of these sound familiar?
Obviously, this is not about repressing your intelligence or creativity. And you’re never going to stop having impulses.
What’s more important is developing guard rails and systems for what I call 'impulse navigation.' (In fact, developing the skill of impulse navigation is actually another form of brilliance - one that compounds over time.)
When I work with a founder, we take a three-pronged approach:
identifying their specific impulse triggers
strategizing the best response in advance, and
practicing exactly how they’ll respond in the heat of the moment.
While it’s typically the charismatic acts of brilliance that get glorified in the media, it’s the "boring” South Pole approach that Amundsen took—methodical preparation, consistent execution and singular focus—that will ultimately outperform erratic brilliance.
If you're being totally honest with yourself, what one area of your leadership could benefit from more disciplined execution?
Love,
Renita
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