Being the smartest guy in the room is fine but you don't have to flaunt it. Being a know-it-all is really a bad social/professional choice. No one likes know-it

Being the smartest guy in the room is fine but you don't have to flaunt it. Being a know-it-all is really a bad social/professional choice. No one likes know-it-alls. Even if you've got the knowledge to back it up there's just something about our society that makes people want to see the know-it-all fail. They will actually contribute and celebrate your failures because of it. A humble person will get sympathy in the same situation. I work under the assumption that lots of people know more than I do about lots of things. These people are not a threat to me or competition. They're an opportunity to learn. Looking back there are so many times when someone who had really mastered a topic has helped me understand it just through a paragraph of text or a few minutes of conversation. It may have taken me hours, days or weeks to figure it out on my own. I try to do the same for others when I can. Knowledge & information should be freely shared in a comfortable exchange whenever possible.