Aptitude refers to the Tendency of a Person to respond Positively and Negatively towards a Person, Object, Idea, or Situation. It influences a Person's Choice of Action. An aptitude is a constituent of a competence to do a certain kind of work at a certain level. Outstanding aptitude can be considered "talent."
An aptitude may be physical or mental. Aptitude is the inborn potential to do certain kinds of work, whether developed or undeveloped. Ability is developed knowledge, understanding of learned or acquired abilities, or attitude. The inherent nature of aptitude goes against to skills & achievement, which represent knowledge or ability that is gained through learning.
According to Gladwell and Colvin, often, it is tough to set apart an excellent performance due merely to talent or come from hard training. Talented people, as a rule, show high output immediately in a few kinds of tasks, but usually only in a single direction or genre.
Aptitude and Intelligence
Aptitude & Intelligence Quotient (IQ) are related and, in some ways, diverging views of human mental ability. Unlike the original idea of the Intelligence Quotient, aptitude often refers to one of the many different attributes which can be independent of each other, such as:
- Aptitude for military flight,
- Air traffic control, or computer programming.
Generally, Aptitude tests are more likely to be designed & used for career, employment, or selection for a job, and intelligence tests are more likely to be used for educational & research purposes. However, there is a significant overlap between Aptitude and Intelligence, and they often measure the same types of abilities and skills. For instance, aptitude tests like the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) evaluate enough aptitudes that they could also serve in the same manner for measuring General Intelligence (GI).
A single setup such as mental ability is calculated with multiple tests. Usually, a person's group of test scores will highly correspond with everyone, which makes a single measure helpful in many cases. For instance, in the Department of Labor in the United States of America, General Learning Ability and Skills are determined by combining Verbal, Numerical, & Spatial aptitude marks. Although, many individuals have skills that are higher or lower than their overall intellect ability level. Aptitude sub-tests are used intra-individually to decide which tasks that individual is more skilled and fitted at performing. This knowledge can be helpful for deciding which job roles are the best fits for workers. Frequently, before more rigorous aptitude tests are used, individuals are screened for a basic level of aptitude through a previously-completed processes, such as SAT scores, GRE scores, GATE scores, degrees, or other certifications.
Difference Between Attitude and Aptitude:
| Attitude
|
Aptitude |
| Attitude underpins the Character and Moral Values |
Aptitude determines whether the person could develop Desired Skills to perform a Task |
| Attitude is Mental. |
Aptitude is Mental together with Physical in Nature. |
|
Aptitude is related to Competence of an Individual person. |
| Attitude is positive / negative / indifferent feeling towards a person, object, event or idea; |
Aptitude is a competency to do a certain kind of activity. |
| Attitude can be nurtured |
Aptitude can also be nurtured |
| Attitude is associated with character or virtues |
Aptitude is associated with competence |
Intellectual Aptitude:
A Public servant must have aptitudes intellectual aptitude, emotional aptitude, moral aptitude
Attribute/traits of a successful Public Administrator
One famous idea is that good employees quit managers & leaders, not institutions or organizations. The idea is that a single bad boss can have a catastrophic impact on employee morale, turnover, & the overall effectiveness of the institutions. Fortunately, a good boss can have the different effect. In the public sphere, administrator or manager can play an even more prominent role than in corporations or organisation. The allure of high salaries & better benefits constantly draws good employees away from the public service sector, & it is often the strength of an institutional leadership that prevents a full-fledged hemorrhaging of employees. Excellent public administrators share ten common attributes.
- Commitment to the Mission
Excitement spill-over from top leadership to the employees and workers on the ground. When the administrator/manager is enthused about the institutional Mission, the employees will mirror those emotions and feelings. During an emergency, great administrators/manager nudge their staff about the purpose of their Mission & the role their institution plays in the sizeable society.
- Strategic Vision
An Administrator in a government institution must always remain focused on the strategic vision & the long-term Mission of the organization. Fellow staff members can become narrowly obsessed with the day-to-day operations of the agency but count on their leaders to understand the five, ten, & 20-year plans. It is important to know that the agency or organization was often around long before the public administrator arrived & will remain in operation long after the administrator leaves.
- Conceptual Skill
The importance of conceptual skill "…the essential aspect of the [executive] process is the sensing of the organization as a whole and of the total situation relevant to it." What this means is that leaders must always be able to see how anyone's effort or action affects every part of the company/organization. Fellow staff members may only see as far as their department or shift; leaders must always see beyond those limits.
- Attention to Detail
It is important for leaders to see the big picture & think strategically; it is equally crucial for them to be attentive to all details. This does not mean that administrators have to be involved in every small decision or undermine the decisions of sub-ordinates; rather, leaders must remain conscious of the activities of their staff and the status of projects, allowing autonomy whenever possible.
- Delegation
There is a distinction between delegating tasks to staff & run away from responsibilities, having an idea about slackness that subordinates will not complete the assigned task. Great public administrators navigate this distinction by making an arrangement by not only assigning tasks but clearly defined spheres of influence where subordinates have authority to make decisions. Delegating tasks & responsibilities in this manner empowers staff members to grow in their positions, preparing them for future leadership positions.
- Grow Talent
Internal promotions save companies and organizations lakhs or crores of rupees over adding outside hires. A public administrator must have the authority to take existing Talent within the institution, nurture it, & appoint staff members in positions where they can give their best not for the organization but opportunity to get a more successful career. Administrators must be careful not to stifle and quarrel staff growth by becoming overbearing or compelling staff members into positions that are not suited.
- Hiring Savvy
Most people enter public service because they have a deep desire to make changes in society for a better place to live; however, desire & skill do not necessarily go hand in hand. Public administrators have the power to set their organization up for success from the very initial level by hiring the adequate person for the right jobs at the right time. Great administrators keep in mind that one bad hire can have negative ripple effects throughout the rest of the organization.
- Balance Emotions
Almost every person in his personal or professional life experiences extreme emotions, whether it is good or bad, at one time or another, and those emotions can be harnessed for good or ill by leaders of the organization. Great leaders have the capabilities to funnel emotions, like rage, anger, and happiness, into positive action for the betterment of society. Poor leaders use feelings as an excuse to lash out at staff members and indulge in a blame game to create uncomfortable working conditions.
- Creativity
Most of the time, public administrators work in a condition where they struggle to get sufficient budgets for development with short deadlines to achieve targets seemingly impossible in the first instance. Those drawn to public institutions thrive on those unique problems and use these restrictions as an opportunity to showcase their skills. Public administrators have the intellectual wherewithal to come up with creative and unique solutions to complex challenges, normally by seeing an issue from a new perspective or by innovating a new approach to the solution.
- Digital Communication
Experience a new vista of the internet where Social media & digital communication platforms, such as email, social networking sites, and video, are cornerstones of modern communications in the 21se century. While big business leaders in these huge profit organizations are responsible to shareholders, they have a lot more freedom to decide when& where they will communicate. Public administrators are obligated to the people and maybe held answerable for their actions at any moment. Successful administrators display excellent digital communication skills, especially communication via social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or any other medium. Public administrators choose their civil services because of their love of service & their desire to make their communities a better place. These ten traits can transform inexperienced administrators into tremendously successful ones.
