Principle of the Week: Be the Dumbest Person in the Room

I get it. That principle sounds off. You can’t possibly want to be the dumbest person in the room. Hang on, I’ll tell you why it’s true. As I was listening to Kevin Hern tell his incredible story of coming from nothing in Atkins, Arkansas, a question hit me. I asked him, “It sounds to me like you refused to accept that you would inherit the choices other people in your family had made, that you weren’t born into those choices. Was there a moment that triggered you to get out of those circumstances?” He responded that it’s really about the role models you have around you and that sometimes they are people you wouldn’t normally expect, like your mom or dad.

For him it was his uncle Gerald Johnson, who came from the same small town and rose through the ranks to become CFO of Tyson Foods. At age 18 Kevin asked his uncle how he became so successful coming from Economy, Arkansas. His answer was simple: “Always surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.” To add to that point, Kevin mentioned that Warren Buffett has said he has been successful because he was always the dumbest person in the room. Hern elaborated that he found that to be true because if you think you are the smartest person in the room, you stop learning. No one wants to tell you anything because you think you know it all already. The most humbling experience you can have is being the dumbest person in the room yet taking all the responsibility. You take on the failures and you share in the successes. I have found that to be true myself.

When I sit across the table from someone I’m interviewing, like Congressman Hern, I know I’m not the smartest person in the room. But I have a sensational appetite to learn, to grasp the concepts and principles they are talking about. I never go into a transaction without coming away learning something. One more thing Congressman Hern said is the American Dream is not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Some people believe they are owed the American Dream. There’s no such thing. The American Dream is different for everyone and everyone has their own journey to take. Congressman Hern’s journey is one to admire and appreciate, that no matter what your background is, no matter where you grew up, no matter how smart or dumb you think you are, you can choose who you want to be.

Don’t play the victim. Don’t blame your past. Today it is your choice to be better. And remember, it is okay to be the dumbest person in the room.

Be Principled, Caleb