As a founder, a lot of times there is a heavyweight to be the one who:
- Can ask the good questions
- Come up with the most innovative solution
- Pulls together the right team
- Dives in depth to understand a problem
- Knows the client inside-and-out
One of the first times I remember not being the smartest person in the room was when I was working on closing what would become our largest single contract to date.
To win this client, we had to pitch in a completely different structure than I was used to. We were talking to an enterprise client. They had levels of red tape that I was not used to. We were also not simply pitching a “standard website,” but a larger, team-based approach. I knew our team could easily accomplish the goal (the tasks weren’t outside our wheelhouse), but how we structured the deal was something new.
The pressure should have been a “110 out of 100.”
As we went through this two-month process (including an onsite visit), I didn’t feel much pressure. The teammate who worked this with me was an expert in everything I was not.
- He understood how to sell a deal like this (I did not)
- He understood how to find enterprise-level pain points (I did not)
- He knew what type of structure they needed for both guarantees and flexibility (I did not)
- I knew the creative strategy and why our people could do it (he did not)
- I could “talk tech” (he could not)
But I wasn’t the smartest person in the room. I was able to stay in my lane and never had to worry about improvising answers.
Ever since that time, I have tried to get smarter people in the room with me at all times.
Start hating being the smartest person in the room.
