Which Type of STUPID Do You Wrestle With?

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What It’s About?: “There are so many kinds of stupidity, and cleverness is one of the worst.” - Thomas Mann.

Ian Leslie in The Ruffian made me think about stupidity. According to Leslie there are catagories of stupid. Hmm.

“1. Pure stupidity: Pure stupidity includes the inability to identify patterns, follow logic, or learn from experience. A stupid person is a novice at everything all the time.

2. Ignorant stupidity: The less you know, the harder it is to learn; the less you can learn, the less you know - the stupider you get. This is the ignorance loop.

3 Fish out of water stupid: People with powerful brains who have acquired a great deal of knowledge in one domain, and who are therefore regarded as exceptionally smart, tend to assume they will have exceptionally smart thoughts in every field of knowledge they wander into. That’s stupid.

4. Rule-based stupidity: The old saying goes, it’s not what you don’t know that will get you into trouble but what you do know that isn’t so. When people blindly apply their rules or ‘algorithm,’ it can lead to stupidity.

5 Over thinking stupidity: Clever people have a tendency to add features to a concept or problem rather than subtract them, which can produce stupid outcomes.”

So What?: Unfortunately, I’ve been able to practice applying all of the above categories of stupidity. I’m most prone to the last one. A friend of mine noted that there wasn’t a situation I couldn’t make more complex. It wasn’t a compliment and something I’ve grappled with through my life. How about you?

Now What?: Too often, I run into executives that think they’re the smartest person in the room. In fact, I’ve seen some of them riff through all catagories of stupid in the same meeting. The best leaders are humble, naive learners. They literally learn from every situation. A homeless person approaches them on the street and they humbly observe the person with compassion and respect. A front line person expresses frustration and they dig into understanding. They are fierce listeners, relentlessly curious and able to change perspective. Sometimes I find myself arguing and convincing rather than listening. Or I silently congratulate myself for being clever. That’s when the big neon STUPID sign blinks vigorously. The message: Do not fall into STUPID land, Lorne. Be a relentlessly humble, naive student and learner.

Think Big, Start Small, Act Now,

Lorne

One Millennial View: At first I thought this sounded mean spirited and defeatist. I don’t like believing most people are stupid, and I think that viewpoint can be used as a hacky cop out. Thinking further, I think it’s smart to be able to accept we’re all probably a little stupid! I’m likely not an expert in anything, but by acknowledging that, at least I can ask questions, be curious and learn.

- Garrett

Edited and published by Garrett Rubis

Which Type of STUPID Do You Wrestle With?

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