There’s a topic that’s been threading in my “Founder & CEO” LinkedIn group the past few weeks:
“How can one lead smarter people than himself?”
And “As a leader should you sound the smartest in the room or the opposite?”
My answer on the second part: “Know thyself.” Mainly be yourself, however smart (or not). Don’t bother trying to figure out “if” you should “sound” smart or not. It’s a waste of time, and it’s inauthentic … which, is decidedly not a trait of a great leader, especially one that can sustain leadership over the long term.
Now, my answer on the more important first part re: “how”: Passion with purpose and focus.
This goes along with the printed words of Drucker, Welch, Goleman (re: Emotional Intelligence), Covey and many others, and in my zone collaborating with predominantly entrepreneurs, it’s proven out every day. Simply put, inspire the “smarter” ones to more effectively apply their smarts to a compelling vision and you can be a great leader for any size IQ.
Also regarding Teams, and more specifically those in innovative and/or early-stage companies, there’s a great adage that “I’d rather have an “A” team and a “B” product, than a “B” team and an “A” product.” Here’s to building, inspiring and leading a team of all-stars into an all-star team.