While being the smartest person in the room boosts your confidence, it’s not always a blessing—it can actually hinder your overall development and learning experiences.
A career counselor on TikTok advised people to “abandon the sinking ship” if they realize they are the smartest person in the room at work.
Thu (@lazygirlglam22) explained why being the smartest person in the room at work isn’t necessarily a good thing. In fact, she believes it can be a sign that you should look for another job or position.
“One thing I’ve done in my career that has proven very useful to me is recognizing when I’m the smartest person on the team,” she said, “and that’s the moment I need to jump ship and work under other people’s leadership.”
Thu explained that instead of being the smartest person on the team, she would rather “work under really smart people with more extensive experience who can teach her how to accelerate her development or look at something differently.”
“This is where I see a lot of people make mistakes,” she added. “They’re the youngest people on their team. They’re leading their department. They teach themselves these skills. Then they teach these skills to the older people they work with.”
While that sounds good, the alternative is even better. As CNBC noted, you can’t truly succeed in your career if you’re not constantly learning and evolving.
Furthermore, if you think you are the smartest person in the room and no one can do the job better than you, you are overlooking the talents and abilities of the people around you.
“Imagine being in a place where your skills are really being nurtured and you’re working under the guidance of people who are just as creative as you are,” she said. “Maybe they know a million things more and you can really blossom and shine and just be 20 times better than yourself.”
Others online agreed with Thu’s advice to never be the smartest person at work.
“Yup, yup, yup, now I’m learning that!” commented one TikTok user.
“This could change my life,” another commenter shared.
“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room,” a third user aptly wrote.
fizkes | Shutterstock
No matter how smart you think you are, it’s impossible to know everything at once. There’s always a new skill, a new fact, a new way of communicating, a new way of gathering information to learn – but you might not be at the right company for it.
In his graduation speech at the University of Texas in 1965, computer expert Michael Dell famously said, “Never try to be the smartest person in the room. And if you do, I suggest you invite smarter people… or find another room.”
You should never be done learning, no matter your age or job title, so if you feel like you’re stagnating, it might be a sign to look elsewhere and find a position where you can learn, grow, and truly succeed.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango covering entertainment, news, self-talk, love and relationships.
