Be a Smart person in the Room, but not the Smartest

When you are entering a new space. It is wise to look around, and check based on first impressions what people make up the room. Do they posture themselves differently, their demeanor, are they boastful or quiet? Etc.

You want to know how to engage yourself in that space, and most of all find the person who would be able to teach you the most. This is an active exercise, that you need to train yourself for to look out after.

"Meanwhile, surround yourself with people who challenge you, teach you, and push you to be your best self." -Bill Gates

If you enter the room (I'm thinking akin to a conference room), and everyone is loud and talking over each other. Then leave that room. You'll more than likely not find anyone worth your time in that space.

If you find that during conversation, no one is engaging your curiosity, or that you aren't learning anything. [Note: And there isn't someone actively interested in what you have to say too, pay it forward!] Then you need to find a new group of people. As you only live for a short amount of time on this planet, and we need to honestly keep learning as much as possible throughout our lives.

A Level of Intelligence

I'm not even talking about IQ, but of course I'm sure there are a lot of things you could learn from a person with a high IQ.

Rather it is a matter of diverse knowledge, multi-faceted, and multidisciplinary meetings. Creating a melting pot of ideas, and shared mastery.

One person brings up an idea, and another can connect it to their field. Finding a bridge between the two, and sparking more discussion.

What I would find most interesting is a group made up with people with a high: EQ, IQ, SQ, NQ, etc.

The Polymath in this Scenario

This goes for everyone in the Multidisciplinary Spectrum. It is both a blessing and a curse. Let me explain why:

Overall the ability to jump between topics, which in turn may entail jumping between people and conversations, is something that the polymathic person does very well.

Conversely, if you get too flighty, then you may miss out on a deeper conversation, that would not reach its climax yet until later. I've noticed this throughout my own life many a times. I try to consciously weigh a conversation, if I feel that urge to float, and gauge whether or not my time is better spent here or elsewhere.

I made a wrong decision last year, and I feel regret for it.

Otherwise I go back to active listening to the other person.

Oftentimes the Polymath might BE the smartest in the room

The thing is, despite being a Multi-Expert, the fact of the matter is that we have a bunch of other interests as well. That may or may not be deep level of expertise. Meaning we know the lingo and can translate those skills for a bit of a deeper understanding, but without the deeper level of knowledge context. The conversations can only go so far.

On the other end we could go deep into a handful of specialties, and sometimes that makes it harder to market ourselves in certain situations.