Narrator: Imagine two successful companies on the verge of a multi-billion-dollar merger. One is led by a thoughtful, scientific leader who prefers to process information kinesthetically and visually, making decisions quietly or via detailed emails. The other is run by a powerful, articulate leader who thrives on auditory input, insisting on open discussion and verbal agreement to move forward. When these two worlds collided, the result was not synergy, but chaos. Meetings became battlegrounds of misunderstanding. The team that preferred quiet reflection saw the other as aggressive and impulsive. The team that thrived on debate saw their counterparts as passive and disengaged. The merger quickly collapsed, a catastrophic failure born not of bad intentions, but of a fundamental inability to think together.

This costly disaster highlights a hidden barrier to success that plagues teams, businesses, and even personal relationships. In their book, Collaborative Intelligence: Thinking with People Who Think Differently, authors Dawna Markova and Angie McArthur argue that this failure is not an anomaly but a common outcome when we ignore the most vital form of diversity: intellectual diversity. They provide a roadmap for understanding the different ways people think, enabling us to bridge these divides and unlock the collective genius that emerges when different minds learn to think together.

Narrator: The foundational error in most collaborations is the assumption that great minds think alike. In reality, they don't, and forcing them to do so can be disastrous. The authors point out a startling phenomenon observed by Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline. He estimates that the IQ of a group can actually drop by more than 30 percent compared to the IQ of the individuals within it. This happens because people habitually misread, miscommunicate with, and belittle one another, not out of malice, but because they have never been trained to recognize and accommodate different thinking styles.

Traditional education and corporate training often prioritize a single mode of thinking, rewarding those who can focus intently and deliver answers quickly. This creates an environment where other essential modes of thought, like reflective sorting or open-ended creativity, are seen as distraction or confusion. The authors challenge the very definition of intelligence, reframing it from a static noun—a fixed quantity you either have or don't—to a dynamic verb. Intelligence is a capacity that must be cultivated, like a garden. This perspective shifts the focus from asking "Are you smart?" to the far more powerful question, "How are you smart?" Recognizing that people have different intellectual strengths is the first step toward building true collaborative intelligence, or CQ, which the authors define as the ability to think with others on behalf of what matters to everyone.

Narrator: To understand how people are smart, Markova and McArthur introduce the concept of Mind Patterns. Their research, which included neurometric studies, revealed that our brains shift between three primary states of attention: a narrow, laser-like focused state for concentration; a sorting state for digesting information and making sense of it; and a wide-open, creative open state for imagination and associative leaps.

What triggers these states is different for everyone and depends on our unique sequence of processing information through three "languages of thought": Visual (seeing), Auditory (hearing), and Kinesthetic (feeling or doing). The specific order in which these languages trigger our attention states defines our unique mind pattern. There are six possible patterns: VAK, VKA, KAV, KVA, AVK, and AKV.

The story of Maria, a famous country singer, powerfully illustrates this concept. Overwhelmed by the demands of her career and family, she felt she had lost control of her life. The authors helped her identify her mind pattern as VKA: Visual triggers her focus, Kinesthetic helps her sort information, and Auditory input opens her up to creative ideas. This explained why she felt most alive and clear-headed while driving her Porsche—a highly visual and kinesthetic activity. Armed with this "operating manual" for her own mind, Maria learned to consciously shift her mental gears. When she needed to focus, she used visual cues. When she needed to process, she engaged in movement. This self-awareness allowed her to manage her attention, regain a sense of control, and respond to the complexities of her life with newfound effectiveness and inspiration.

Narrator: Beyond mind patterns, our intellectual identity is shaped by our Thinking Talents. Building on research from Gallup and Ned Herrmann, the authors identified 35 distinct talents, which are innate, energizing ways of approaching challenges. Unlike skills, which are learned, talents are patterns of thought and behavior that feel natural and effortless, and using them actually increases our mental energy.

However, these talents can sometimes manifest in unconstructive ways, which the authors call "shadow attributes." For example, the talent of "Having Confidence" can appear as arrogance, or the talent for "Thinking Logically" can be perceived as annoying skepticism. The key is to name the talent, contain its excessive expression, and aim it constructively.

The journey of a CEO named Nick shows this in action. Nick was a master at recognizing and nurturing the talents of his team members, but he was completely blind to his own. In a meeting, he could pinpoint moments of greatness in each of his employees, energizing the entire room, yet he never acknowledged his own contributions. The authors helped him see that this ability to "Particularize"—to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person—was one of his core talents. They also helped him see the shadow side of his strengths. His talent for "Reliability" made him a dependable leader at work, but at home, it made him a micromanager who drove his son crazy. By understanding his talents and their shadows, Nick learned to lead more effectively and repair his personal relationships.

Narrator: The third strategy for building CQ is Inquiry. The authors argue that the power to question is the basis of all human progress. This requires a "growth mindset," a term coined by psychologist Carol Dweck, which is the belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. This contrasts with a "fixed mindset," the belief that intelligence is static, which leads people to avoid challenges and fear failure.

The story of Peter, a newly appointed CEO with an engineering background, demonstrates this transformation. His first meeting with Wall Street analysts was a disaster because he communicated in statements, trying to prove he had all the right answers. His abrasive, confrontational style caused the company's stock to plummet. A leadership coach challenged him with a simple question: "Would you rather be right, or would you rather be effective?" This question sparked a profound shift. Peter began to experiment with inquiry, using questions not as weapons, but as a tiller to steer conversations. Instead of telling his team what to do, he started asking for their perspectives. He learned to leverage their strengths to compensate for his own blind spots, particularly in innovative thinking. This new, collaborative approach not only salvaged his relationship with his team but also impressed the analysts, ultimately turning the company's performance around.

Narrator: Bringing these strategies together is the CQ Playbook, a practical method for resolving conflict and fostering collaboration. The case of Steve and Joseph, two architects and business partners, provides a compelling example. For ten years, their partnership was seamless. Steve, a KAV thinker (Kinesthetic-Auditory-Visual), was the restless creative who thrived on site visits and in-person interaction. Joseph, a VAK thinker (Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic), was the steady, detail-oriented partner who ensured stability. Their old office was designed in a way that naturally facilitated their different styles.

But after their firm was acquired, they were forced into a world of electronic communication. Steve struggled, becoming erratic and disengaged. Joseph grew resentful, feeling he had to carry the entire burden. Their partnership fractured. Using the CQ Playbook, Joseph was able to map their differing mind patterns. He realized that the conflict wasn't about laziness or disrespect, but about a fundamental clash in how they processed the world. He stopped trying to force Steve to be more like him and instead implemented strategies to accommodate Steve's KAV pattern. He initiated daily "walk-and-talks" to engage Steve's kinesthetic and auditory needs and hired an assistant to handle the visual organization of emails. This freed Steve to return to his strengths in on-site design, and the partnership was restored, stronger than before.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from Collaborative Intelligence is that our differences in thinking are not a liability to be managed, but an asset to be cultivated. The greatest danger we face in our organizations and relationships is not that we think differently, but our inability to think with those who think differently. The solution is not to force conformity, but to become architects of connection, building bridges between diverse minds.

The authors leave us with a powerful metaphor from the martial art of ki aikido: the randori, or "freestyle practice." In randori, a master is not focused on defeating opponents but on blending with their energy, maintaining balance amidst chaos to move toward a goal. This is the essence of collaborative intelligence. It requires a shift from seeing others as adversaries to be overcome to partners in a complex, creative dance. The ultimate challenge, then, is to ask ourselves: are we willing to stop pushing against others and instead learn to bend, blend, and discover what we can create together?