You Are The Smartest People In The Room

By Rob Pace, Founder, HundredX

It must be an amazing time to work at the Apples, Googles, and Teslas of the world. These companies are teeming with the best and the brightest, working on innovative products and disruptive technologies. It felt much the same way during the golden era of Wall Street. Recruiting events at Harvard and Stanford were standing room only affairs. 

While I feel fortunate to have worked with some exceptionally intelligent people, lately I have been hanging out with the smartest people I have ever met. They can answer any question with stunning accuracy. These smartest people in the room are you — the customers and employees of any organization. Your ability to analyze and explain everything is why I encourage CEOs to employ technology to establish a listening culture that will help to access this collective brilliance.

Jim Collins, the extraordinary Good to Great author, once advised me to look for the one thing we could fix that would ultimately address a range of issues at an organization. I now believe figuring out that one thing universally starts with the development of a listening culture.

Most leaders will agree with the premise of management by walking around. As illustrated by Undercover Boss, there is a substantial benefit to getting outside the office and experiencing what is really happening first hand. While this provides great insights, there is still only one person doing it. Image if those same leaders could see the things you see. Enter crowd-sourced wisdom collected via technology.

Please log in or register below to read the full article.