It is a commonly held success philosophy that you should strive to surround yourself with people who are more creative, more brilliant and more knowledgeable than you are. It happens sometimes that you look around and find that you are that superior talent. Sometimes there’s just no way around it. You are the smartest person in the room. What now?
Iron Sharpens Iron
Just as a soccer player is more likely to improve his game when he competes against a superior soccer player, business people are more likely to make more innovative, relevant decisions when surrounded by those who are more knowledgeable in certain areas. As they say, two heads are better than one. Collaborations between smart people produce smart ideas – far more smart ideas than each intellectual could probably produce on his own.
The Dangers of Being THAT Guy
At 7’6”, Yao Ming is one of the tallest men to play in the NBA in the last 20 years. His height was a real asset when he played. Off the court, his height was something he probably adjusted to rather quickly. By now, he has surely gotten accustomed to being the tallest guy in the room. He may default to standing in the back whenever a crowd forms. He is usually going to be in the best position to see past everyone else. He is probably not at all disturbed at by the likelihood that on any given day, he may have a better view of the tops of people’s heads than their eyes. Yao Ming doesn’t control his height, but he has probably learned the best way to use it to his advantage.
In the same way, it’s great to go through life wielding a weapon like intelligence. Intelligence can be cultivated, but you pretty much arrive here with it already in you. Having such a powerful gift can be difficult to handle effectively. You tend to get used to it, just as you would if you were always the tallest person in the room. You get comfortable seeing past everyone else, waiting for them to catch up. You get accustomed to people relying on your expertise, on your word as the final authority. If you are both smart and sharp (discerning), you come off to others like a genie in a bottle. You’re almost magic.
You can also be hard-headed and unteachable. One of the main culprits smart people face is pride – a sense that in the end, the facts will prove that you are right… again. You may be right, but life is hardly ever just black and white. It’s far more subjective than many are willing to admit. Decisions end up being made based not on what is right, but what is best. If you have a tendency toward being unteachable and not truly willing to allow others to have input and perhaps even make the final decision, your intelligence can go from being an asset to being a liability.
Seeing far into the future may be one of your strengths, but remember, vision has to be balanced within the confines of its relevance and applicability to the present. Sure, it’s great to have people lament that “He was a head of his time,” but they usually say that posthumously when reality catches up to the person’s vision. Don’t be the guy who is praised after he’s dead, or whose ideas were impractical for promoting present growth.
Handling a Superior Who Isn’t That Guy
Being the smartest person in the room is not limited to colleagues and subordinates. Sometimes you are smarter than your boss. In that case, it’s important not only to exercise humility, but also to serve your team by supporting your boss’s efforts and departmental goals. That can take some ego killing. Intelligence can easily be seen as a threat by others on your team, so be careful not to position yourself that way. Be collaborative. Have a heart of service and act in the best interest of the team as a whole.You are far more valuable as a reliable ally, than a worthy opponent.
To maintain humility when you know more than your boss:
- Don’t present yourself as a threat
- Offer endless assistance