Risk & Business Magazine Jones DesLauriers Insurance Magazine Summer 2018 | Page 18

BAD HABITS OF SMART LEADERS
> star general from the US Army. We were
surrounded by other two- to four-star
generals. Each of these men and women
had graduate degrees and were chosen
to be two- to four-star generals over
thousands of competitors. He asked
me an interesting question: “Marshall,
who is your favorite customer?”
I replied: “Sir, my favorite customer is
smart, dedicated, driven to achieve, has
incredible integrity, gets results – and is
a stubborn, opinionated know-it-all who
never wants to admit he or she is wrong.”
I looked around the room and asked:
“Do you think any of the generals in this
very room may fit such a description?”
He laughed and replied: “We have
a target-rich opportunity!”
IT IS INCREDIBLY
DIFFICULT FOR
SUPER-SMART
PEOPLE TO HEAR
SOMETHING
WITH WHICH
THEY DISAGREE,
WITHOUT PROVING
THAT THE OTHER
PERSON IS WRONG.
After all, if others disagree with us,
we assume, because we are so smart,
they must be wrong. They may not be
stupid people, t