Inside The Edge
About
The DeVenney Code
Enjoy the unraveling of the business world's deepest darkest secrets from the comfort of your desk with “The DeVenney Code”. Michael’s opinions on both major and less covered business topics can be enlightening, refreshing, and humorous. Gain some perspective on topics that you may have never considered before, and challenge yourself to consistently “think outside the box”.
“The DeVenney Code” is your way to the inside scoop.
| Use Your Knowledge as a Tool and not as a Club |
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Sometimes you can be too intelligent. Particularly in how you communicate your knowledge to others. Yes, you may be smarter than the entire room but do you really have to club them over the head with it? Have you ever been in a meeting, participating on a committee, or working with a team where there is a person who is very knowledgeable but has to let you know how much they know? They have to provide their input into everything and only their opinions count because they go on and on with their theory. And they contribute by highlighting how much they know in a condescending or even confrontational way. "Let me put this in terms even you could understand..." or "I don't expect you do understand but based on my 26 years of experience ..." are typical topic introductions. Does it make you ... (a) want to punch them in the face, (b) close your eyes and go to your happy place until they are finished speaking, (c) wish they would gain self-awareness enough to understand how to communicate without belittling others, or (d) all of the above. I vary between (a) and (c). Building your knowledge is a worthwhile goal and continuing to learn and expand your expertise can greatly increase your value to the organization and your work. However, with the development of expertise must come a comparable development of self-awareness so you can communicate your knowledge without clubbing someone with it. Often, I see truly intelligent people who defeat their own potential but lecturing on what they know, talking down to others, and advocating their opinions as the only option. As they are downloading their pearls of wisdom, you can see the rest of the room losing energy, closing their eyes, tuning out, or sharpening their knives. The expert loses the room and people don't listen to them. Great knowledge and insight that could have truly made a positive impact is lost because of poor communication. Of course, the expert doesn't see that as all they hear is their own voice and they simply talk louder and longer to get people to see the light. Truly smart people know how to provide perspectives and insights based on their knowledge that brings others into the conversation and encourages questions, discussion and understanding. There is a difference for me in someone who is smart and someone who is intelligent. A friend once said that another CEO was the smartest person in the room. My answer was no - the CEO was intelligent but was too caught up in hearing himself speak to be smart. Most people didn't follow this person - they just heard the words and moved on. An intelligent person knows a lot but a smart person can effectively communicate what they know. An interesting fact revealed in many studies shows that intelligence is actually the seventh most valued skill in a leader and although a CEO generally needs a post-graduate level of intelligence to succeed having an IQ of more than 125 can actually get in the way. Without a doubt, invest in building your expertise. With knowledge comes the ability to add value. But be smart about it as well. While you are building your expertise build your self-awareness so you can apply what you know and connect. Just my opinion …
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