On a cruise several years ago, the captain asked us if we liked the other diners assigned at our tables. We all nodded politely. “Bet there’s one weird couple though, right?” he asked. Some of us laughed, some agreed, I blushed. He egged us on further “Come on there is. I know it.” Again, a few nods. Finally he said, “If there’s not a weird couple at your table, YOU are the weird couple.”
Same story different channel – a tweet this morning from @PatFlynn – “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”
Who we are and how we’re perceived is somewhat dependent on the folks we surround ourselves with. If you are always the star of the show or always the smartest in the room, you are not learning anything. You are not being challenged in any way. In order to grow professionally you must be willing to be the student to the master. That can mean surrounding yourself with people smarter than you, more charismatic than you, funnier, more technologically advanced than you, more adept at social media than you…you get the idea. Find your area for growth and follow/connect with people who are just better at it than you are. There’s nothing to be gained by being the smartest person in your little room.
