Smartest person in the room?

Are you the smartest person in the room?

If you regularly find yourself answering ‘maybe’, you probably are, and it’s time to find another room. I suggest ‘maybe’ because most of us underestimate ourselves. Whether ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’, you should surround yourself with those who can challenge you with new ideas, better ideas. Forget about running an IQ test to see who is smarter than you or checking tertiary qualifications, just look for those who come from another angle and are not ‘yes’ people.

Intelligence is subjective. Supposedly ‘objective’ and ‘standardised’ tests are inadequate because we are anything but ‘standard’. Horses for courses. Why do we rate physics degrees as more intelligent than humanities degrees? It is why I want to change the conversation from smart, to alternate thinkers. So, back to the initial question; “Are you the smartest person in the room, or do you all think the same way?”

From the outset, I want to say that I am not even the smartest person in my home, let alone the room. My peer group is well beyond me and in such a diverse array of topics. For that, I am eternally grateful. I have pieces of paper with qualifications, often used as a commodity or currency for trading, but I constantly learn from those with nothing. Or at least nothing on the wall in a $5 K-mart frame. The moment I am no longer challenged to grow, I find a new room. Law enforcement and teaching in NSW involves the same processes, but each location, station, school and cohort offer different challenges. To stay in one place can lead to complacency, often disguised by comfort. I love the challenge of learning from others. 

I have journeyed through various levels of self confidence in my life. Never have I considered myself the smartest in the room, which worked in my favour. It may have prevented me from taking on leadership at an earlier stage, but it has served my ‘learner’ strength well. I always want to go deeper when my interest is piqued. I have worked in occupations that value ‘time served’ as a measure of ability. It often mistakes experience for ability, two completely different factors. It was usual practice to devalue the opinions of ‘newbies’ regardless of their age and background. When the tables turned and less ‘experienced’ workers were promoted under a merit based system, there was disdain. I believed in an arbitrary and outdated belief that 15 years was appropriate before applying for promotion. So in an industry of dinosaurs and newbies I was unsure of where I fit in. It was with great relief and respect that I found myself working a murder investigation soon after joining the Detectives. Now, I was not a Detective…I had passed the initial process to ‘win’ a position as a full time investigator, but was still years away from the Detectives Course. At an end of day debrief, a 30 year veteran from the Homicide squad who was assisting, asked me thoughts. I stammered and apologised for my lack of seniority and suggested I was too junior to have an opinion. “Luke”, he reassured me, “you have eyes, a brain, an opinion, and I want to hear it”. We think differently. It is about our strengths, experience, context and perspective. I didn’t need to be the smartest person in the room. Neither did the Detective Inspector. 

Years later it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when my 3 year old daughter evaluated my cycle race performance one night. I was dieting heavily and training hard. On the drive to the Monday night Criterium race one summer evening my wife asked “Have you eaten enough?” I replied “I am exactly the same weight I was last race”, implying that I was ready for the race. From the booster seat behind me came a simple comment, “Well that’s no good daddy, you only finished second last week”. Seems I wasn’t the smartest person in the car. The unexpected logical analysis from a 3 year old was revealing.

As a teacher I am continually astounded by the intellect and perception of my students. An often derided generation I am convinced they have different knowledge, not necessarily less. Each generation learns in their context; social, political, economic and environmental. No single incident is ever the same, as we, and our environment is constantly changing. They constantly challenge my preconceptions of learning and understanding and I seek new ways to teach. I also learn from them. I also enjoy Project Based Learning and any Cross-Curricular approach to school because it allows me the chance to learn from highly educated colleagues outside of my subject area. We all have a 4 year degree and in every different scenario one of us might be able to lay claim to being the smartest person in the room and share from that collective.

I recently ventured from the fortnightly wage to small business. I have received advice, guidance and mentorship from PhD, Masters, Bachelor and Cert 4 qualified experts. I have received even more from friends and acquaintances who have owned businesses for many years. A few months ago I spent time with Peter McGrath from Green Scene Landscaping, a self made success story in the world of Brisbane Landscaping and Design. From his own web design and marketing to the physical tools of drainage and all things structural around the home, Peter and his wife Mel are experts in more than one field. Where my Masters of Writing may have me well placed in one room, I loved being the novice in their company when discussing business ventures. Peter is one of the most intelligent men I have met, as are most people I have contact with, simply because they think differently. 

So as I venture to my next school workshop, my next corporate event with real estate property managers, or a major computing manufacture, I am excited by what I can learn. I already know what they can learn from me, but what really keeps me moving is knowing that I will be in their world and learning from them.

Find that new room.