Are society and organizations designed to work best for the mediocre? Are there any studies that correlate increasing IQ with better "life results", or do chances of "success" worsen with increasing IQ (say beyond 130 or so)?In my experience, you often see at least 2 failings in "smart people:"
- "Analysis paralysis": smart people sometimes aren't commercial and can't get things done. In the spirit of "perfect is the enemy of the good" -> smart people are sometimes too focused on making something perfect at the expense of moving forward and getting things done. Analysis paralysis means too much time thinking about the problem rather than making a decision and moving.
- Smart people sometimes screw up interpersonal situations by showing off how much they know / how smart they are. An old boss of mine had a useful saying -> you should sometimes "leave a few IQ points in your pocket." Most people in the world don't like being around someone who is constantly trying to show how smart he is. Life and people are easier if you are more chill.
If a given task has only a 1% chance of being performed successfully, the "very smart" person will correctly calculate that it's not worth the time to work on it. A "less smart" person who does not or cannot calculate those odds may just plunge right in, and one time out of 100, succeed. This kind of "long shot" task is commoner than we might think, from business situations to scientific research to storming an enemy position in battle.
The "very smart" person also has less tolerance for repetitious actions, is more easily bored, and sometimes fails to complete projects once he or she intuits the outcome. The "very smart" person is more likely to question the motivation for action. So you want to start a business? Why is that? Oh, you're motivated by a desire for wealth? And why is that?
The "very smart" person indeed has advantages, very real ones, in life. But you can't win the game if you don't play, and that's why the "less smart" people so often run organizations and succeed at their projects through persistence. It is definitely possible to be too smart for your own good.
The "very smart" person also has less tolerance for repetitious actions, is more easily bored, and sometimes fails to complete projects once he or she intuits the outcome. The "very smart" person is more likely to question the motivation for action. So you want to start a business? Why is that? Oh, you're motivated by a desire for wealth? And why is that?
The "very smart" person indeed has advantages, very real ones, in life. But you can't win the game if you don't play, and that's why the "less smart" people so often run organizations and succeed at their projects through persistence. It is definitely possible to be too smart for your own good.
0 comments:
Post a Comment