The New IQ is a self- improvement book about the importance of individual integrity and maintaining balance among the different core drives that are present in every one of us, for greater personal fulfillment and better relationships. When most people hear the word integrity, they think about honesty and genuineness- the dictionary definition of integrity. This definition is fine, and the New IQ doesn't dispute its importance. But what this book is concerned with is something a little different. The concept of "Integrity Intelligence" described in this book involves more than mere honesty. It is a concept that stresses the importance of the three dimensional self and the three important core values (authenticity, connection, and impact) which need to be balanced in order for integrity to manifest itself.
The New IQ is a self- help guide of a different sort and I found its approach more genuine and sensible than many other self- help guides I have skimmed through over the years. Many self- help guides spend too much time talking about a surface concept without digging deeply enough into the root causes of behavior and the necessary actions for self- improvement. Worse, many of these self- help guides over- simplify the situation. A good example is the self- help books that emphasize positive thinking. There is nothing wrong with thinking positively and most agree that positive thinking is better than its opposite. But simply telling someone to "be positive" is not enough. It takes more than that, and the New IQ is one book that offers more. Not only does it explain itself thoroughly, it also offers diagnosis of the problems/reasons why people fall out of integrity and what needs to be done to get the different dimensions back in alignment.
Keeping the three dimensional self and the three core drives in equal or nearly equal alignment is the main goal of The New IQ and the author feels it is critically important to the individual and those around him/her to strive for balance among the three core drives. These three drives of authenticity, connection, and impact are all equally important, but they can lead to many problems for an individual when one of the three core drives dominates one's life/personality. Like the book stresses over and over again, the key to achieving high integrity is to find the right balance between all three of these drives. Those who take one of them too far will fall out of integrity, and this will most certainly have a negative impact on their mental health and personal relationships.
What I like best about the New IQ is that it takes a potentially complex subject and breaks it down into parts that are easy to understand, while still presenting itself in an intelligent, professional manner. Many authors of self- help books communicate like their audience has a third- grade education, but the New IQ keeps things on an intelligent level while also making sense out of everything. The book accomplishes this through the use of diagrams, examples from actual people, self- assessments, and years of professional experience on the part of the author. The New IQ points out that integrity issues are commonplace among all peoples in all walks of life in all parts of the world, but he also points out that improvements in integrity intelligence are possible regardless of the situation or the hand that life has dealt.
Overall, The New IQ is a very good self- help guide about integrity intelligence and the importance of finding balance. Optimal integrity intelligence is desirable for many reasons, and it almost always leads to greater individual satisfaction, better personal and business relationships, and better involvement for the good in one's local community and the global community. The New IQ sets the stage for this development, with clear examples that illustrate the root causes of integrity issues and what needs to be done to eliminate them; making the individual a better person and the world a better place.
