I’ve witnessed a room full of half as smart people trying to get a project done many times. They’ll take 10 months setting meetings and talking in circles, beca

I’ve witnessed a room full of half as smart people trying to get a project done many times. They’ll take 10 months setting meetings and talking in circles, because no one knows enough to actually get started. Generally, there needs to be at least one lone wolf (or someone who wishes they were a lone wolf) who reads the manual and starts building the thing. At least then everyone else has something to talk about and the discussions can start to have some real direction to helping shape what comes next after the base is laid down. While it’s great if this person has people skills, it isn’t always the case. Either way, the person is needed. I think somewhere around 1 in 5 people on a team need to have some of that in them. They make the seismic changes, and the others are around to support and maintain. Problems arise when the person in question can’t back up their big talk with getting things done, and their personality isn’t just a quirk worth dealing with, but an obstacle that drags the whole team down. I’ve experienced this as well and it wasn’t fun.