The Cone of Silence, Chaos (KAOS), and the Smartest Person in the Room - Part Two

So, have you thought about my question? Do you still consider yourself to be the smartest person in the room?

NEWS FLASH! You actually may not be the smartest person in the room, and I’m pretty darned sure that, I'm not, either. Now we’re talking! In the realization that you are not the smartest person in the room lays opportunity! In most cases, the people who are smarter than you have something you don't....and, the good ones are likely willing to share their ideas and thoughts with you. After all, why have all those smarts if not to demonstrate that they exist, right?!

The lady standing next to you in the room probably knows something you don’t. The guy across the table knows something you haven’t considered. The woman sitting next to him knows something he hasn’t heard before. They may not all be university graduates or senior executives but, they all know something. And, that something may be just what you need, an idea; a bit of historical data; a theory; a new approach; a twist on an old concept; a seemingly crazy, far-out, or wild-assed idea….something that you haven’t yet considered or maybe, what you’ve already forgotten.

But, it’s there for you to tap into. That knowledge, that wisdom, those smarts, that are better, deeper, or broader than those you already possess are within your reach and available to excell you further than you could go without them. You see, when a person believes that they are the smartest person in the room, that belief, that one seemingly minor error, in and of itself, suggests that that person isn’t…..the smartest person in the room. What’s more, such a mistake can cause you to miss a very important opportunity…your chance to acquire knowledge from others, to capitalize on what they know, to build on their experiences, to learn more, to become better at whatever you do….to better serve others and to become an even greater success!

Ask yourself: "Do I know EVERYTHING?" That’s an easy one. Then, as you begin to feel a bit humbled, ask yourself "Do I know everything I need to know to accomplish my objective?" If you answer "Yes", try again, and remind yourself that someone somewhere knows something you don’t. And THAT something could be the key ingredient in accomplishing your mission, for yourself and for others.

The most successful leaders I’ve met have been some incredibly quick-minded and intelligent people. Others have been some pretty regular folks. Among the most common traits threse truly smart people possess is the humility and the realization that their knowledge and experience created greater results when augmented by what other smarter people knew. Eachone knew that if they actually were the smartest person in the room, their accomplishments and their ultimate success would be limited by what they did not know.

So, during the course of their careers and their lives, they decided to Get Smart, by sharing their knowledge with, and learning from, others. In order to achieve more, those smart people typically sought out others with more experience, more knowledge, more expertise….more smarts. The interesting point here is that those from whom they learned were not necessarily the most educated or those who were perceived as being the most accomplished. Sometimes, they were just regular people who possessed specific intellectual capital.

So, what’s your best move? Accept that, while you may be pretty intelligent, you are not likely the smartest person in the room, or at least you shouldn’t be. If you really are the smartest one there, then go to another room, or find people who truly are smarter than you and who can help you accomplish more with what they know. If that means you must find your own Agent 99 then, go get her!

Your best bet will be to ditch the Cone of Silence, get dumb, then Get Smart, and excel further than your own smarts alone can take you!

Let me know how you do.