Chapter 139

“People in authority tend to believe that position elevates IQ.” Rockwell

Positional power and authority are real, however they come with many traps as well. Here is a primary one that must be resisted - that the position you have is a reflection of either your intelligence or your importance. 

Your intelligence is improved and enhanced by hard work and competence-building, not by climbing some corporate ladder or organizational structure to what some consider “up”. You cannot get smarter simply by movement in some system of advancement. This will in fact, fool you into believing that you have increased something that cannot increase with a simple change in office or desk size. Instead you will need to apply the hard work of sharpening your intellect with practice and challenges and experience. Don’t be tricked into believing for a moment that you role defines or elevates your intelligence.

Actually, most people would argue that those in positions are there because they are “company people” or that they have no real skills or intelligence to do the most difficult tasks. Others refer to this in the “Peter principle” where many are elevated to the point of their incompetence. Does that sound like position equals intelligence, or an increase in intelligence? Not at all.

Positions can be opportunities to serve others, and advance a cause or goal, and if so utilized in those ways, can provide opportunities for learning more and eventually increasing your competence. But the smartest person in the room rarely has the position of authority or power, because they frequently choose NOT to have that added responsibility, instead preferring to stay in a place where they can utilize their real expertise. I have seen this and done this many times.

Be humble.

Always be learning.

Achieve greatness