The catch is, you have to be really, really good at what you do in order to adopt this stance, otherwise it's just sheer overbearing arrogance. It is sheer ove

The catch is, you have to be really, really good at what you do in order to adopt this stance, otherwise it's just sheer overbearing arrogance. It is sheer overbearing arrogance no matter how good you are at what you do. Arrogance is not a characteristic reserved only for the less competent, and it is never a positive trait in even the most competent. The only difference between a competent jerk and an incompetent jerk is that it may be worth your while to make an effort to look past the less-than-desirable qualities of the competent jerk in order to take advantage of the good advice he or she may have. This does not mean that competence excuses a jerk from the responsibility to learn how to not be a jerk. I think what you may be trying to say is that it's reasonable to tolerate an arrogant jerk if their skills truly tip the scales in their favor. That's fine, but I'm saying that everyone, including the most skilled jerk, has something to gain from purging arrogance from their personality.