Acting smart when you are not causes many a downfall. Not neccasary in business but also as an individual as a whole. Nobody likes a smart aleck who can wait to show off how smart he is.
The old saying “Empty Vessels makes The Most Noise” should be well heeded, especially by those who are taking their first step into the real world.
Don’t Be a Smart Aleck.
To act smart when you are actually not will only make you even more stupid. You will never learn about anything from those who are really smart. To want to learn and to want people to tell you things that you don’t actually know, you should listen. Not open to mouth to contradict just to show you are smarter of maybe just as smart as the guy who is speaking. If you do that, he might well stop telling you anything because you already shown him that you know more than him.
Listen, not Hear
The basic principal of learning is to listen. Not just hear. Even if you have in depth knowledge of the subject that is being discussed, listen to what others have to say first . They may have something new that you haven’t heard of. Nobody can claim to know all. Beyond the sky, there is another sky. Beyond the mountain, there is always another higher mountain. So you will never know if anyone has a better insight until you hear him out.
Act Dumb
To absorb as much as possible and to make people want to tell you things, act dumb. You will learn a ot more this way. Ask questions. Pretend that you are ignorant even though you know. For example, if there is going to be a big project that will soon be launched and you already have all the particulars in hand, don’t go a boasting that you have it to show that you have good sources.
Go about your daily business as usual and if along comes a smart aleck who can’t wait to boast about his knowing of such a project, act dumb and listen him out. Ask him questions like who is bidding. Ask him how much he is bidding. Since he thinks you are so dumb as to not to know of such a big project, he will almost tell all, just to make you feel bad and jealous. Now you have an upper hand. You know who your competitors are. But as usual, act dumb and praise him for his knowledge. You will even get more from him. It may sound low and dirty, but I look at it as being shrewd.