Book Number 2 on my Book-a-Week list for 2011 – The Gift in You by Caroline Leaf
Dr. Caroline Leaf has masterfully combined four of my passions in this lovely book – leveraging gifts, the study of the brain (neuroscience), emotional intelligence, and spirituality. Throughout the book, she includes concepts that link brain science to scripture. Her purpose in writing the book is to help us realize the link between brain science and our divine purpose. Her years of research on brain science make this a very interesting read for anyone who is looking to leverage their gifts, and especially those in the business of leading and coaching others to do so, like me.
Leaf uses the Seven Pillars of Thinking model, which you may be familiar with if you ever read the classic book, 7 Kinds of Smart by Thomas Armstrong, first published in 1993. These seven pillars or seven types of intelligence include:
- Intrapersonal
- Interpersonal
- Linguistic
- Logical/mathematical
- Kinesthetic
- Musical
- Visual/spatial
Dr. Leaf has designed a Gift Profile, an inventory to help you determine which of these intelligences are dominant for you. The profile is a simple pencil and paper inventory that is included in the text of the book. We all use all of the seven, but it is our dominant styles that guide our thinking (and therefore our emotions and our actions) the most. Learning more about our dominant styles can help us better understand ourselves, better leverage our gifts, and better understand others as well.
An interesting and inspiring read.