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Why Smart People Do Stupid Things In Business and Life
I remember my dad scolding me for climbing into a corral full of horses. He warned me, “You could get kicked. Use your brains!” Despite knowing the danger, I still step into corrals to pet horses. This behavior highlights a common phenomenon: Intelligent people can do unwise things.
We all know smart people who do questionable things in business and life. At work, people with brilliant minds can make the most simple mistakes. Colleagues might have high IQs but struggle with what you consider common sense.
Intelligent people can notice patterns and solve analytical problems. However, one study found that intelligence does not predict well-being. The study also said that standard intelligence tests fail to capture our real-world decision-making or our ability to “think about social relations.”
As a counterintelligence and espionage FBI agent, I couldn’t risk doing stupid things. While I devised a strategy for every arrest and interview, I never operated in isolation. People don’t know what they don’t know, and since lives and reputations were at stake in my investigations, I always invited other agents to scrutinize my decisions to eliminate errors.
In the business world, leaders are used to calling the shots, but as they grow their company and add talented people to their…
