From Karan’s Research, Read About One of the Top Seven Leadership Execution Tactics
Mastered by the World’s Most Successful Leaders

Successful leaders leverage their “sweet spot” of knowledge to make a difference or affect change.

Leading with Intellectual Horsepower is the ability to use your expertise to “peek around corners” to spot trends, connect the dots, and identify new opportunities that others miss.

Individuals with a high acumen in Intellectual Horsepower are logical and critical thinkers that are comfortable dealing with complexity. They are quick to learn when facing new problems. Not only are they intellectually sharp, capable, and agile, they have deep functional skills and knowledge in areas of personal expertise.

What does “Leading with Intellectual Horsepower” look like in individuals?  They . . .    

• Have deep functional skills and knowledge in areas of personal expertise
• Are intellectually sharp, capable, and agile
• Are comfortable dealing with complexity
• Learn quickly when facing new problems
• Think logically and critically

What is the “differentiating value” provided when demonstrating Intellectual Horsepower? 

• The identification of blind spots of which others were not aware
• The sharing of valuable knowledge
• Planning a path and leading others on how to adapt quickly to new challenges

What does Leading with Intellectual Horsepower look like in the workplace?

Let’s look at a real world example of leading with Intellectual Horsepower in action. Michael Dubin, the founder of Dollar Shave Club, focused on the common trend of how men hated the razor-buying process. He thought if he could mail blades to customers for a lower price, men would appreciate the problem he was solving.

Michael researched a new distribution model, quickly set up a website, and then produced inexpensive, funny commercials about how it was a bad experience to buy razors at a store. The videos went viral. The first video cost $4500 to make, was funded out of Michael’s meager savings, and resulted in 12,000 orders on just the first day.

Since then, the video has been watched over 24 million times on YouTube. Ultimately, the sign-ups for the service proved his concept, resulting in future angel investments. Michael is the perfect example of a leader using his Intellectual Horsepower to spot a trend or opportunity that others missed, ultimately building a billion dollar company.

What value does Intellectual Horsepower provide in the workplace??

Intellectual Horsepower gives both leaders and organizations a competitive edge. Not only are these leaders able to identify the blind spots others were not aware of and share their valuable knowledge, but they develop an action plan. They create a path and lead with bold actions by showing others how to adapt quickly to new challenges in the ever-changing workplace, putting their team ahead of the rest.