Being the smartest person in the room

Let's be clear about one thing. If you need to be the smartest person in the room, then you will need to find a very special company, start a company of your own, or get over the feeling that you need to be smartest person in the room. The last approach is the one I would recommend.

I hope for your probability of success in leading an advanced analytic and AI team that you are not the smartest person in the room. If you are, then you are either an incredible person, or you have hired poorly, or maybe a bit of both.

I am certain that at one point in my career, I needed to be the smartest person in the room and I am certain that I embodied all the less-than-desirable personal traits of such a worldview. With these beliefs and views, you will not be seen as a leader and you will not be able to lead a team to sustained success.

Competing with your team to be crowned the best and brightest is one of the fastest paths to team discord...