Name: The Truth about Being the "Stupidest" in the Room | Simon Sinek
Uploaded: 2023-11-09T21:01:30.000Z
Duration: 2 min 17 s
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Present continuous

Like, I don't understand very complicated things.

And so I ask a lot of questions so that the person who's telling me something complicated, who's talking in terms as if I understand them.

Finance or neuroscience, I don't know what you're talking about and I ask enough questions just so that I understand it.

So "Is what you're saying this?" "No, that's not what I'm saying."

So I, well, most, I mean, I'll give you a perfect example.

So a long time ago, I had a client, they were a public company and they brought me on to do some work for them.

But they invited me to sit in on a meeting from the consultant that they had hired.

And so all the C-level executives and me and this consultant was giving a presentation about something about marketing.

This is when I had my little marketing company.

And every all the C-level executives sitting there nodding and taking notes on the, on the, you know, on the PowerPoint that they had printed up in front of them and I had it as with as well and I didn't understand a freaking word of it.

I was like, looking around like I'm, and so I raised my hand and say, "I'm really, really sorry."

"I know I'm the only person in this room without an MBA."

"But this doesn't make sense like you say, A plus B equals C, but based on your logic, A plus B equals D, can you just say it again, please."

"I'm really, I'm really sorry to slow the meeting down, everybody."

You know, and you could see the consultant getting frustrated with me and would try and explain it again.

And one by one, all the C-level executives said, "Yeah, I don't understand it either."

Now, if the idiot hadn't spoken up and said "I don't understand," they all would have nodded their heads for fear of looking stupid because they don't understand.

And it would have, they would have paid a lot of money for a document they didn't understand and they would never have used it and would have sat on a shelf.

And it's because I'm okay being the idiot like that's why I'm not being flip.

Everybody in the room going, oh, because I have to ask questions until I understand it.

But the reality is once I can get to the point where I understand it, I can get it so simple that I understand it and I can say it in simple terms, that means other people understand it too.

So there's a lot of value being the idiot.