The One Trait That Truly Sets Business Leaders Apart — And It’s Not Intelligence
I always thought intelligence and intellect separated the wheat from the chaff in business. But it’s much simpler than that.
I’ve always loved intellectual people. As far back as I can remember, I have been instinctively drawn to those who think critically and continue to challenge themselves and improve their intellectual ability.
If I look at my friend group, colleagues, or other business peers that I tend to interact with more than others, there seems to be one thing in common: I feel intellectually challenged by them. Whether there is a specific topic at which they have expertise that I don’t; whether there is a personality trait of theirs that I strive to emulate; or if they are just better than me at something, I find it incredibly rewarding to live my life around people like this. Most of these people, despite being quite intellectual, are never satisfied with what they know. They fervently believe that there is more to learn and more that they can develop – and they’d be right!
In fact, those on the other end of the spectrum bore me almost to tears. People who think they know everything. People who believe there’s no need to learn something new. People who are so afraid to be wrong, that they’re certain they’re always right. For a long time, I thought this was related to intelligence, but that seemed like too much of a cop out.
Being in business, most of us deal with a lot of people from each of the aforementioned categories. But this isn’t a rant about choosing the right social circle. Main Street Mindset is about how we can improve upon ourselves. And, like everything in life, we should lead by example.
I cannot tell you how many conversations I have had with business colleagues that have astounded me for one (or all) of many reasons: they couldn’t understand a very basic idea that they should certainly know if they are in business; they were certain they were right about something about which they were, in actuality, factually incorrect; they showed zero interest in learning anything new – because what need is there if they already know everything?
Let me give you some fun examples: one time at a trade show, I was speaking with a customer whom I had never actually met. After the normal pleasantries, they offered some constructive criticism of my company, of which I’m always open to hearing. They were commenting on our freight policy, specifically in having to pay freight on their shipments from us. In discussing, they mentioned that one of our competitors does not charge freight on the same type shipments. Now, I know our competition pretty well, but in this case I actually do business with that competitor through one of my other companies, so I was 100 percent certain he was incorrect. I pushed back politely, and we went back and forth a bit until he said, “No, they don’t charge me freight. They put it on my UPS account.”
Okay, if you’re not in a shipping/logistics business, that one may have gone over your head. Let me try another one. At the same trade show, when chatting with a potential new supplier, we were discussing pricing and terms. I explained what pricing I needed to make it work, and there was a misunderstanding on the gross margin I told them I needed. They told me that my calculation was resulting in one number, and I explained that their math was incorrect. It got to the point of me actually writing out the math equation on a piece of scrap paper and showing them why my math was correct, to which they simply shook their head and said the numbers weren’t correct, and sent me on my way. I didn’t think you could argue with math, but, here we are.
I’ve also had customers call and complain about our price on a specific item, claiming our competitor was selling it significantly cheaper. Well, this is a big red flag: we could have made a mistake in our calculations; maybe the supplier lowered the price and we didn’t realize it; or maybe our competitor made a mistake and has it listed too low. The customer told me the price, and it was way lower than I could ever go. After failing to figure out why that is, I simply said, “Honestly, if they have it that cheap, you should just buy it from them.” To which the customer replied, “Oh, they don’t have it in stock.” After a few times having this exact conversation, my stock reply is now, “Well, if I didn’t have it in stock, I could also offer it at that price.”
Perhaps the most infuriating example is when someone, whether a supplier or a customer, calls me to tell me something they think my company is doing that they don’t like. Perhaps they heard it from someone else, perhaps they saw something on the Internet (which, of course, never lies), or perhaps they’re making an assumption based on information they have. The bottom line is that, generally, they are simply incorrect. But they’ll insist that they know what they are talking about, and that we need to stop doing X, Y, or Z. The problem is, we’re not doing X, Y, or Z. Again, after having this conversation enough times, I’ve resorted to saying something along the lines of, “Why don’t you continue to tell me about how my own business is being run?” Or, if I’m feeling less snarky1, a friendlier, “Instead of telling me what you think is true, why don’t you ask me questions about how our business is run? I’m happy to tell you whatever you need to know.”
One of those two usually disarms them, but the theme grates on me constantly. I can’t recall a time I have ever called someone up to explain how I think they’re running their business. I’ve certainly called someone with concerns about their operations, but that’s usually followed by me asking questions to learn more, and either confirm or reject my theory. Oftentimes, if there truly is an issue, the conversation ends with me working with the person on the other line to figure out a solution. In my naivete, I naturally assumed that this was how most people approached these situations, but man, have I learned otherwise.
Let me give you one final example, from before my business life. The summer after my freshman year of college, I spent three months living in Toronto working for The Hockey News. It was perhaps the best summer of my life. Forgetting the fact that I was residing in a city that lived and breathed hockey2, it was my first opportunity to observe a high-level, fast-moving workplace that centered around two topics I was incredibly passionate about: writing and hockey. It was an eye-opening experience, if nothing else because I was surrounded by absolutely brilliant people that made me feel like I needed decades to catch up to their intellect. And I loved it. It challenged me, it showed me what it took to succeed in the real world, and it motivated me to be at my best each day.
One week, the publisher (e.g. the boss) mentioned to me that she wanted me to be in a meeting at the end of the week to observe and give my thoughts on a new, major project they were considering. Because it was something aimed at kids and teenagers, and being that I was the youngest one there at 19, she wanted my contributions to the conversation. I did a ton of research throughout the week, had a few ideas, but certainly was not sure if they were valid. When the meeting came, I sat in the corner while all the bigshots at the company sat around the table offering their opinions. Well, they weren’t really opinions. Each of them knew that what they were saying was correct. They shouted opinions as if they were facts. Except, they weren’t facts – and some of their opinions were actually based on ideas that were completely inaccurate. Being an intern, and lacking the confidence (and brashness) that I have now, I kept quiet and didn’t offer any of my thoughts during the meeting, for fear of being perceived as disagreeable3. Predictably, the project never got off the ground, which is a shame because it had a lot of potential. But what I took from that meeting was, “Man, people sound really dumb when they think they know what they’re talking about.” You could chalk it up to a typical corporate culture, but right on the other side of the wall were the people I worked with each day, in the same company, and none of them spoke like that. Our meetings on the editorial side were filled with eloquent rhetoric, heated discussions, questions, theories, and all sorts of ideas that stretched my abilities. And everyone was encouraged to participate, interns included.
And that brings me back to my original point. As I tried to wrap my head around my constant desire to surround myself with those smarter than me, and my disdain for those who are closed-minded and ill-informed, I came across an Inc. Magazine article that resonated with me. It was about billionaire Mark Cuban’s two-word piece of advice to his own kids that perfectly illustrated what I’d been pondering: be curious. That’s when it hit me. It’s not the lack of intellectualism that bothers me in business; the lack of curiosity is one of the biggest threats I have ever seen to my industry and some of its companies.
We all have dumb moments4. We all make mistakes. We all have days, weeks, or months where we feel like we just can’t keep up. But what truly separates the wheat from the chaff is not intelligence, intellect, or “smarts”. It’s curiosity. Those who are curious are always looking to learn more. They’re always looking to improve. They’re looking to better understand the things that they don’t know, and even the things that they do. Remember that trite statement, “You learn something new every day”? Screw that. Just one thing? On a good day, I learn tons of new things, because I’m aggressively trying to do so. Those I choose to surround myself with are doing the same.
As business owners, we should always be asking how we can be better, both as leaders and as companies. I think the best way to do so is to be constantly curious. More importantly, the best way to encourage others to be constantly curious is to do so yourself. When I ask people questions, they often reciprocate; when I ask them questions about their business, they usually answer, then respond in kind with a similar question about mine. This is how we learn, and this is how we improve. We see what others are doing, we see what they know, and we apply what is relevant to our own situations.
There will always be people who refuse to improve themselves. That’s their prerogative. But I will always choose to push people to embrace curiosity on a daily basis. And I’ll forever surround myself with those that do.
Fat chance.
Swoon!
That problem sure disappeared over time.
Some more than others…