There are four things truly smart people never do. They find a smart reason why the world is wrong and they’re right. They have zero achievements to back up their ego. That’s not how top performers think. Even when every piece of evidence shows that they’re not so smart, they find smart reasons why they are right.
They don’t overthink
Instead, they test things with brutal immediacy
- Smart people know that the answers to their problems cannot be found in their head.
- They take immediate action
- Ask them what they’ve actually done in order to achieve their goal
They don’t hijack conversations
Listen more than talk
- They focus on actions rather than words
- Aggressively smart people are smart for a reason – they’ve had lots and lots of other aggressively smart people tell them things about life and business
- To do that, they’ve learned to be good listeners
They don’t do small talk
Truly intelligent people value their time, and they value yours.
- Lead with honesty and directness
- If you appreciate them being direct, they know they’re dealing with another smart person. If you get confused and insulted by their directness – they’ll instantly know you’re probably just trying to look smart.
They don’t need a sophisticated reason to act
They often act on an impulse
- Intelligent people will sometimes act childishly, but do not mistake their free-willed behavior with aimlessness
- Pseudo-smart people will usually have a super-smart reason why they are doing whatever it is what they’re doing
