Your Intelligent Friends are killing Your Business.

Here’s an unpopular opinion.

Your intelligent friends are killing your business.

Tell me if you have heard this before. Surround yourself with smart people if you want to become successful.

It's a great advice, really.

...here’s the thing. We end up building halos around people we ‘think’ are smart.

But here’s the thing. We end up building halos around people we ‘think’ are smart. This results in extreme influence. Everything they say becomes authority. Everything they suggest becomes an override to all the other suggestions you have had for that thing.

Picture this with me.

You are a leader who has to make brand-altering decisions on a frequent basis. You are friends with a high ranking bureaucrat. Let’s call them Bob. Now, depending on your upbringing, you will have a pre-installed admiration for high ranking people in the government. This is amplified by your social circle. Naturally, if you spend time with Bob, you would seek some kind of advice/hack/tip from him that would help you with your business.

It makes sense.

Bob is an expert after all. He is well read. Well traveled. He advises the government on different matters. It makes sense to seek advice from Bob. And so you keep seeking. You invite Bob to your parties, have great conversations with him. At this point, you could say that you? have an overall great relationship with Bob. You respect him. Admire him. You lowkey brag about him among your peers, every now and then. It’s going great.

One day, you feel a sharp pain in the right side of your abdomen.

The pain is so unbearable that you can’t stop crying.

So you cry.

And cry some more.

The pain goes away. Well, for some time at least. To your surprise, it comes back with twice the suffering it carried previously.

So you cry.

And cry some more.

I’ve got to do something about this, you say.

And you do.

You pick up the phone.

Scroll through your contacts.

Call the doctor, yes.

Fast forward. You are in the clinic.

The doctor tells you that it’s Appendicitis. There’s severe inflammation and it needs surgery.

Hmm. You think about it for a second.

You pick up the phone.

And call Bob. (Wait, what?)

“Bob, I need your advice. There’s this ‘doctor’ who’s telling me I have Apendickus or something. And she’s telling me that I need surgery. What do you think I should do? (Wait, really?)

Here’s what Bob tells you.

“That’s ridiculous. You don’t sound like you need surgery. I can tell from your voice that you don’t need surgery at all. (Uhh…what? How does a person who needs surgery ‘sound’ like, Bob?)

Don’t listen to that modern medicine crap. Do this. Go home, Spread two four-leaf clovers on your ass and sleep for 43 hours. Don’t forget. 43 hours. Two four-leaf-clovers. Spread'em.

Thanks Bob.

What happened here?

You can clearly see what’s wrong. Of course, I am stupid to paint a picture like that. Because that would never happen. It’s silly. You wouldn’t go to Bob if you are sick. You’d go to the doctor. And obviously you would consider what your doctor is telling you. To hell with Bob and what he says.

Right.

Right.

How about this?

Instead of a sharp pain in your stomach, there’s a problem with a specific area of your business. Let’s call it branding.

Instead of a doctor, you call a brand expert. And they tell you exactly what’s wrong with the brand and how it’s supposed to be solved. But once they showcase the solution, you are calling Bob to have a second opinion.

Would you do that?

Do you do that?

If you do, now you know what I am talking about.

There’s a reason people specialize in something. An engineer cannot, no matter how good they are, operate on a patient that needs a heart transplant. And it goes both ways.

If you have people in your circle who you respect immensely, great. Good for you. They may be very valuable in many areas. But not all. Don't build impenetrable halos around them. Don't think everything they say is a gospel.

Know where they can be valuable and where they cannot be.

Or else, people who you admire, people who you think are very intelligent, will end up killing your business.

Or whatever it is you take their advice on.