The saying “Being the smartest person in the room” sounds like a compliment, but the distinction has both positives and negatives. Most of us aspire to be this person. A small percentage of us get to experience the position. Some think we are this person, while all others in the room know we are not. Being the “smartest person in the room” is a position we shouldn’t desire to be in at all times. It is an honor to be in both. One is the opportunity to leave more knowledgeable, and the other can increase the knowledge of a group of individuals. Here, we will explore the positives and negatives of being the “smartest person in the room” because I believe the readers of this will be in that position often. Let’s prepare ourselves for the honor.
One positive of being the “smartest person in the room” is increased job opportunities. Everyone wants to hire the most intelligent person available. It does not have to be the traditional full-time employee arrangement. If these people are full-time employees, they are high-ranking employees or will soon find themselves in those positions. Most of the time, the “smartest person in the room” is a contractor or keynote speaker. These kinds of opportunities present themselves a lot for knowledgeable people. Higher earning potential is another perk of being the “smartest person in the room.” As stated, highly intelligent people are in high demand. If you understand supply and demand, the money makes sense. Improved problem-solving skills develop when we constantly find ourselves in this position. The skill comes from everyone else in the room handing issues over and not hoping, but expecting a resolution. Some may see this as a negative, but that outlook should change. Taking the opportunity to build a skill that the masses aren’t willing to obtain because of the responsibility involved will catapult you to the top of many rooms.
There are negatives to this position. A large negative is feeling isolated. The onus of success is usually on the “smartest person in the room.” The group wants to help and will help but if success is going to occur, the path is set by the “smartest person in the room.” Higher expectations are another negative. This person is knowledgeable, but success does not occur 100% of the time. No matter how large or small the group, the blame goes to the highly-intelligent person. A negative often overlooked is difficulty communicating with others. With being so clever, putting explanations or concepts in simple terms is not usually the go-to. To compound this negative, others in the room don’t want to be the ones to state they don’t understand, so you end up with a room of people who are not following but nodding and smiling. Arrogance and condescension are big negatives. This stance is a perfect way to lose a room. The room knows you are smart, but if you need to come off as superior, it will rub the room the wrong way, and words will fall on deaf ears.
If we believe we may be the “smartest person in the room” often we should focus on finding balance. The focus should be integrating yourself with the room. Cultivating humility should be priority number one. Developing strong communication skills will be number two. Gain the expertise of explaining an idea on a multitude of levels. Beginner, novice, and expert levels with the ability to describe multiple ways on each. Seek out, like-minded peers. This action will help you with not always being the smartest in the room. It will be a welcomed change. Set realistic expectations for yourself. Others will already have high expectations for you, but no one sets higher expectations for us than ourselves. There is nothing wrong with striving for a goal. Let’s be sure the goal is attainable. Yes, you are smart, but you are also human.
In closing, being the “smartest person in the room” is awesome. Seeing all the eyes full of hope looking in your direction is significant. It feels great to know fear doesn’t scare you out of the room. We need to be sure to treat the position with care. We should also embrace not being the “smartest person in the room.” We’ll get the ability to learn and be a student again, giving us more to teach when switching back to the head of the room. Remember, balance is important. Yes, most of the knowledge is from you, but the opportunity to learn is always there. Get something out of every room, no matter what position you hold.
Food for thought. You do the dishes!
