There’s a common piece of of wisdom that says
“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”
It’s really BAD advice.
Firstly, it doesn’t even make sense. No matter what room you’re in, SOMEONE has to be the smartest person there. The instant that guy or gal leaves, the next smartest person takes the top spot. Which means now he’s in the wrong room, right?
Secondly, there are countless areas to be smart in. Should a nuclear physicist leave a business mastermind group filled with college dropouts?
Thirdly, the room where you’re “smarter” than everyone else is the room where you can help the most people. And get paid for it.
Plus, sometimes you just can’t help it. You’re too doggone smart. Maybe you’re at the top of the cerebral pyramid in most of the rooms you walk into.
It’s probably not a great idea to spend all your time looking for people to pour into you (which sounds selfish to me) instead of investing more time into building a solid platform on your brilliance.
Once you’ve decided to set up shop where you’re always the smartest person in the room — where you can help people live better lives (in whatever unique way you make that happen) — email is a darn good way to establish and maintain a relationship with those people… and move them to take the action required to reach their goals.
If your marketing doesn’t set you up as the smartest guy in a room other people are desperate to be in, you may want to re-think how you’re doing things.
Handle your business.
P.S. Humility really is a virtue. And it’s not polite to get “too big for your britches,” as Grandma says.
But “politeness” may be preventing you from realizing your potential.
Most people who reach high levels of success in business have sizable egos. It almost seems to be a requirement. It takes a full tank of confidence to chase after something big, something difficult…to believe YOU (of all people) could be the one to step out and make it happen.
It’s okay to be the smartest person in a room.
That said, go build your own room to make sure that’s usually the case.