"Be DUMB Not Smart To Succeed At Work!" - Ex-Morgan Stanley & Ex-BCG EXCELLENT Career Advice

[@theoceanman8687]

Frankly, playing dumb gets really exhausting and can compromise your mental health. Not only that, but you soon start to become just like them given enough time and pressure.

[@felipesuarezweb]

@theoceanman8687 100% correct. But the trick is to have personal projects on your own outside the company you work for.... and eventually monetize your projects to eventually fire your corporate boss.

[@roberthicks2909]

@@theoceanman8687 imo playing dumb is a lot less effort

[@e.s.y3899]

Speak for yourself

[@TotalBuffoon]

Great video. Seen this at work. Surrounded by buffoons and smart people that couldn't be bothered to dumb down. Smart people ostracised even though they do all the work and leave as the midwits are promoted. Solution: tolerate, build up your funds and go for your dream to achieve fulfillment.

[@BillLaBrie]

The smartest people I knew in tech were broken in some way. The wisest people I knew got themselves into a position where they could secretly build a business in an unrelated field while doing the bare minimum at their “real job.”

[@JasonReborn-hc6lx]

True, but the reality is 90% of people that believe they are smart aren't actually nearly as smart as they believe they are. So people need to ask themselves if they may be one of those people

[@markmccormack1796]

Like in my large department, the incompetent are let go, the smart ones leave. What's left is the mediocre.

[@HoppingPuddles]

He’s totally right. Always say yes and be excited to do the projects.

[@millertime6]

I failed miserably in corporate. Never got laid off or fired but definitely pushed out numerous times. I felt the need to tell the truth too often and never really made influential friends. Won’t go as far as saying that I am super intelligent but this is an interesting phenomenon for sure.

[@AA-iy4gm]

Yeah truth tellers and people that point out whats actually wrong and needs fixing at work usually make enemies. First the upper management doesn't want to hear it, its inconvenient. Secondly, your peers dont want to hear it because they'd much rather pretend to be working and blaming others when their pretend work fails to produce results...

[@FrankZen]

I was put on a PIP because of my work being late due legit flaws I found in the code I was working on. In response, I wrote a four page letter detailing every flaw that was impeding my work and was being held accountable for. Their response was to fire me and make me sign a gag order instead of fix the code. A few months later, the company was sold and most of the staff laid off. The firing made sense after that.

[@millertime6]

@@FrankZen Yeah someone wanted to hide the error! I've never been good at navigating those types of shenanigans so I won't be going back to corporate!

[@LarchiDuchesse]

This phenomenon intrigued me since the beginning of time. The dumber you are the highest your chances to succeed and fit in. This is a first where I see someone on public platform call it what it is.

[@AA-iy4gm]

And narcissists with charisma, they aren't that dumb but they have greedy ambitions, not just for money but for influence and feeding their big inflated ego.

[@aarong8457]

@@LarchiDuchesse I've come to the same conclusion.

[@StarnikBayley]

not dumber but average intelligence. a solder who follows orders without question are the best solders, similarly a worker who follows executive decisions while competiting with each other for favour from higher ups makes the best workers. Sadly, this phenomenon is not only limited to corporates but academia, too. people who are intelligent question authority, which may be viewed as a bad trait.

[@aarong8457]

@StarnikBayley It's like you're trying to sound dumb and smart at the same time.

[@LarchiDuchesse]

@ check out book “the basic laws of human stupidity” They’re everywhere, highly dangerous where in high concentrated environments.

[@leet8017]

Playing dumb is useful. When people think you're dumb, some people try to get over on you, take advantage of situations. If people show their bad habits, I don't stop them. I want to see it all, so I know who I'm dealing with

[@donkeywithascarf2435]

Ppl don't expect much from dumb ppl. I can work my load without having someone else's work shoved to me just because I'm fast at working and a fast learner. 🤷‍♀️

[@DavidSmyth8439]

You can lie about having mental disorders and get praised for doing sub standard work😂

[@msliberated3899]

@@leet8017 🙌🏾Works for me, it’s hilarious to watch them think they are so clever and witty, meanwhile my dumb and ditsy sweet self is rising to the top without the expectation of my creativity juices going to the wrong people or corporations.

[@samanyakumar]

I don't really consider myself extremely smart. But I get bored by work too soon & finish things fast. Also, I can see through many of the meaningless corporate rituals. I got laid off from my first job because I argued with my manager why some project wasn't possible in the estimated time. That's when I learnt my lesson. I learnt it the hard way.

[@jordanlouis2554]

This is really hitting home at the moment. Recently lost my job due to not playing the game and dumbing myself down. It’s a constant fight between letting my soul breathe and being myself and being what the corporate world expects.

[@theroninpianist4443]

Never thought that playing dumb would pay my bills, been doing it for years now.

[@Hilaire_Balrog]

It’s not just corporate world. Education is the same, both public and private.

[@ST-rj8iu]

Been playing dumb for years at the same company and I am about to break. I will have to move on and start somewhere else. I am getting penalized for no longer sitting in meetings that have not changed. We are constantly brainstorming with no action.

[@QuantumSqueeb]

corporation has a double meaning: 'corporare' latin for 'one body' aka conformity. also, corpse, oration. the dead are speaking. hence the lack of life in the corporation. these aren't just fancy words but an example of why corporations are where most dreams die.

[@Radientzone345]

Power of word can be either life or death

[@thisguy7175]

Also like mortgage: the make-up of the word essentially meaning “life-pledge”…aka, sell your life away

[@philip571585]

Also like good “mourning”

[@josiah5776]

You advance in a corporate world through conformance, not performance. Corporate Amerika was the most mind-numbing offal on the planet. Like a never-ending sentence in a mental institution.

[@emletai119]

Being truthful, honest, and hard work WILL NOT get you anywhere in corporate America. Speaking from personal experience.

[@TheGrmany69]

At any corporation in this world... Or universe.

[@zerodegreescelsius]

Corporations want to hire workers to work for them, not smarty pants to tell them that they are wrong. Recruiters hire employees; they do not hire bosses.

[@abrin5508]

There is a way to play this if you have other interests and don't mind being mid. a) insist on WFH or private office space b) do the work easily in a few hours a day c) collect your mid salary for your mid performance d) pursue other things in your life

[@flamesintheattic]

Work should never be the source of your fulfillment. Make it a game to optimize for minimum effort, minimum time. If you already make enough to live on, there's nothing to gain by working harder at a normal job. Use the free time to work on other sources of income and/or to jump to the next best opportunity. Stop assuming your work is somehow going to change the world.. it won't.

[@IsaiahsAnythingShow]

Better yet , place yourself as an owner in this economy and have others work to make YOU money Life is too short to waste it on unfulfilling work. Minimize how much time you have to be there and plan that exit

[@darealdealuk]

Work can definitely be what fulfils your life, IF you are doing what you love and being paid for it.

[@darealdealuk]

@nickirich1111 some people like that, and therein lies the problem. Life is not black and white, but rather shades of grey

[@darealdealuk]

@nickirich1111 sorry, I'm not sure I understand your question?

[@darealdealuk]

@nickirich1111 fair enough. Keep your knowledge

[@AndreInThe416]

As Norm Macdonald said, people don't like being around people who make them feel dumb.

[@TheGrmany69]

@@AndreInThe416 and masking turn you crazy over time.

[@YourSaviour99]

Make so much sense. I have been playing the dumb guy role for years. One thing i noticed is i am good enough to not get fired and not good enough to get promoted. But the money keeps coming in salary and stock. And i get time to spend with family. What more you want

[@shanesprecher8290]

This video may explain why the “West” has been going downhill lately.

[@Ionlydategoodgirls]

@@shanesprecher8290 Lately? It's been like this for over a hundred of years

[@ladeutschevitabyGraziaCosta]

Too much ego. If you're a small fish, stay quiet, don’t step on anyone’s toes, don’t ask too many questions, just do what you’re told-even if it’s wrong.

[@KF22TV]

@@ladeutschevitabyGraziaCosta yup, until you’ve saved enough up and have found your own solution to “escape”

[@jz5005]

This helps all us corporate failures reinforce our belief that the primary reason was our unutterably sharp and creative mind…

[@alexbond1591]

It's more about keeping queit at the visible dumbness of the situation and people. Smart + Calm = Wise

[@englishguru0007]

I was dumb at school and I was unsuccessful there. I becam smart after college and I still became unsuccessful. Life's biatch

[@NotGodel]

Or, you could still be dumb?

[@iforget6940]

@@NotGodel 😆

[@nijadbahnam9859]

So basically, i have to be a douchebag to succeed in a corporation . Sabotage my co-workers' duties , sugercoat my superior, and blame others to my failing and act like a dumb nail and a sheep .

[@tobi_dg]

I’m not sure I agree that it’s dumb vs. smart. Some people are just good at and don’t mind playing the corporate office politics game. I’m really bad at it. My stomach churns when I am told to do something to increase my visibility. Or sit through endless meetings to review the update for the boss’s boss who could care less about me or my update. After so many years I’m numb to it.

[@yardy88]

This is honestly the funniest podcast I've listened to in quite some time, sincerely, a very jaded software architect.

[@anotherrobot3076]

That explains it. Midwits. The place is an example of sub-midwits. Manufacturing in the Midwest, definitely were the lower, lower band of midwits could wind up. I haven't seen a brilliant person in quit a while now. Years actually.

[@Trizzer89]

There was an impossible situation in my last job. You had to dull your spirit and go with the flow, but then senior management would come in and rip your project apart for being useless. It's like "yeah, but they wont let me work on something impactful"

[@BMC_377]

Wow, this made me feel so much better about my work. I often think I must be dumb one but maybe not….

[@carlospen8413]

Experienced all of this 😂 I’m pretty good at arguing and if someone annoys me enough they’ll get truth bombs handed to them. I’m normally a nice guy so people feel like they’ll intimidate me or win arguments but they quickly find out. Anyways I don’t enjoy those negativities because I rather use my energy elsewhere.

[@Radientzone345]

Be social or be so shell, with that crab mentality too in this corporations. If you not popular, quite the trial working jobs lol “Life rewards action not intelligence.” -Conor Neill

[@fidgetykoala]

Hey Ethan, I might have landed a job , nothing strategic or in line with my actual education but the field is AI so I think I will sign up as it is an exponential growing sector. Long story short, I had another call with the CEO (early stage startup) and I realised that in this case I wanted to keep a low profile. Basically I was told during a previous interview that down the line, I might would have been able to act as a business developer. So today I was bouncing ideas for mid term future, and I have been told that before being able to directly talk to CTOs and the likes as an AE is going to take me years. I then realised that was a move to establish authority, and control. So I stepped back. What I'm trying to say is that sometimes playing dumb is useful, as long as in our spare time we keep our business education going and try low impact commitments, like running small self directed projects before jumping on full fledged entrepreneurship. Sometimes playing dumb and being underemployed can be a strategic move to step in growing industries. On a side note I was wondering if you are thinking to run courses for Fin edu... because I think you have a knack for teaching.

[@robertsontirado4478]

C students have many social interactions.

[@sydneyhart]

It doesn’t pay to be Harvard valedictorian. It pays to be captain of Harvard’s lacrosse team.

[@phoenixrising4995]

C for Communications students. 😂😂😂

[@eXclusive1]

Nah it’s if Jack is strong willed and talks firmly he’s a confident leader. If Ade speaks strong willed and talks firmly he’s aggressive. 😂

[@earlnoli]

as a 110-115... it's a sweet spot for intelligence. 😅 It's a relaxing work and if you rush against the tide management is typically not that quick or is too risk averse or too politically correct etc. The best way to survive in corporate is to ensure you dont take risk that blows up. Corporate doesn't really value good jobs. They value what makes management hitting their KPIs. There is no metric for superb creative performance. If you are 130 and above... you are better off in a startup where hierarchy is flat and people value good work over looking good.

[@SmartestDumbGuy]

Im the founder and CEO of a national franchise and I always play dumb so all my employees think they are smarter than me.

[@vincentcrowley5196]

School does prepare you for working life to an extent, having to get up a set time, to get ready for work, be somewhere at a time set by someone else, to do tasks that feel boring and pointless for little reward , for a number of hours a day and days a week.

[@bigstew31]

Excellent video dude! I'm a new subscriber... you got GAME!

[@eXclusive1]

As soon as you make comments on efficiencies you’re signing your own PIP. I got told by my manager “you’re too big for your boots” then the company failed a year or two later. Debenhams if anyone remembers- was working on the website.

[@Jupiterxice]

Bruh.......exactly as soon as I called out buffoonery my PIP was sent to me.

[@eXclusive1]

@ my guy we had the same story 😂🤣 we survived though!

[@edwardchang2210]

For a long time I thought exactly like you guys, that being intelligent (140+) was what was holding me back but the bigger factor was lack of empathy for normies due to my own immaturity. Its possible for 140+ to contribute to society as lone wolf super geniuses but the reality is that we need lots of minions in the 100-115 range to do the grunt work to implement our brilliant ideas so we have time to think. that requires empathy to understand how the minions think and feel and why they behave irrationally and default to ape grooming social behavior in corporations. people in the 100-115 range are the same as those cute yellow one eyed cartoon minions and you need a lot of empathy to make them productive.

[@Jong853]

Intelligence is just the ability to process information, not necessarily the ability to have “good ideas” . I think your minion analogy tells me more about your unresolved feelings of pain and bitterness, and your feelings that your contributions are “misunderstood”. It’s easy to have a false sense of superiority when you simplify people. I’ll take the 100 IQ person with 25 years of experience, over the self proclaimed “super genius” who can’t work well with people. If you are in a demanding field. You will learn information as you go. If you destroy those relationships, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. You will fall behind by being a “lone wolf”

[@edwardchang2210]

@@Jong853 100% agree with you (or more accurately, you 100% agree with me) but I don't see why it was necessary to belittle my comment then just go on to paraphrase it unless you have an inferiority complex about being a minion. Corporations need hundreds of minions for every decisionmaker and there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting paid to be a minion at Google, UNLESS your IQ is over 130 because the bosses will be able to detect that you are NOT a minion and get rid of you.

[@Jong853]

@@edwardchang2210 Haha… No. we are not In agreement. Here, let me bring this down to a level you understand. you say you LACKED empathy and maturity. Im just saying that you still have never gained it. They are irrational apes, but I hate to break it to you. So are you, we all are slaves to our biology. We just happen to have some moments of rationality, and we rationalize the irrational things about ourselves. I find it funny when those who claim to be logical, end up exhibiting the most irrational behavior. I also think your view of work culture is one dimensional. Tech is one of the most overvalued and bloated sectors. Start your own business, work for a startup. Go into a sector like lumber, farming, oil and gas, manufacturing, textiles. The attitude you point out, only exist in businesses with wide margins. Not in lean operations.

[@lymphomasurvive]

​@@edwardchang2210 You need to reflect on your comment and see how other people would interpret it. If you can't see the multiple angles of interpretation, then your emotional intelligence is limited. If you can step back and do a real analysis, then you'll understand how someone can, and will, interpret negatively.

[@edwardchang2210]

@@lymphomasurvive great point but the comment was referencing a video targeted at a specific audience and my comment was addressed to the same audience as the video I was commenting on, specifically the people outside the mainstream corporate establishment elite. I understand that the servile minions of the corporate establishment elite will get triggered by my comment, but it really wasn't meant to insult them as I didn't think they would be interested in the original video.

[@mihangelap-williams9871]

I was at a family party not so long ago, and they asked me why i was self employed, i said, its because im too stackable lol. This vid, kind of highligths why. I remember in work, id say, if we do this and that we can change the company and save it, and id for some reylise my job. Now im self employed, i live playing a game with companies, i call it the penny drop, ill drop a statement and see how long it takes to becomes someones idea lol, it takes a few weeks, but someone will ha e that brain fart and it is funny. I also say to people, "i make jobs that a monkey can do, becaya monkey will do it soon"

[@michaeldyer7421]

Or, alternatively, screw it. Do what you genuinely think is right (in all humility, as far as you can) and let the chips fall where they may.

[@MichaelGlitzos]

24:30 "There's only so long you can do dumb work for big money" -- underrated comment

[@zteamvideo2561]

Im no 105, no 115... They told me syntax error ✌️👼🤟

[@telebiopic]

Great video and commentary 🎊

[@DoubtfireClub]

I'm already stupid so I don't have to worry about this

[@Watchmemanifest24]

Great video

[@darealdealuk]

The worst part is knowing you are carrying the team, but not being given an opportunity to progress your career. My advice: move jobs

[@SeosamhMacUaid]

the Dilbert Principle is real. As an adult I done futher education and it was a total waste of time and money the MSc was in an unrelated field and was a a load of phiss because I already had an undergraduate degree I realised the university was bolting most of the same modules from other undergraduate degrees into a postgrad so there was very little to no additional education being had but the cost was massive. I have an IQ of 121 which was tested by an educational psychologist at 30 years old I am really not that smart honestly I had learning difficulties as a child and teen e.g. dyslexia, short term memory issues which causes me to be able to talk a lot and work complex problems out and love doing it at the same time (dont know why) but OMG some of the people I work with are shocking which makes me think the whole system is built for numpties and curruption but mostly corruption but thankfully most of the people I work with are nice people and remote working has helped me reduced my stress from all the fakeness and brown nosing.

[@nneisler]

I let people talk themselves out first

[@John-c4r1o]

24:27 Doing a manual check is what an external / internal auditor would have requested. The investment bank is trying to ensure so called chinese walls are maintained which means impartiality of the bank esp as they can have conflicts of interest. It looks bad when they're fined lots of money and lose confidentiality respect with client / customers. Not sure why IT couldn't make it that people could only log onto specific terminals...although I guess of all the issues that would arise it could be more of a ball ache than a manual check

[@micromicro9655]

Very good, small channel (six words)

[@stevecarter8810]

I don't think it's midwits, i think it's a patience and detachment, and a competency at doublethink

[@Trizzer89]

"corporate shenanigans" should be illegal

[@MrAmbrosse]

I think it's a case of the average iQ of the work place is where the consensus opinion falls. If you have a super high achiever work place then the average iQ is a lot higher which means you get less of the mid wits in charge.

[@brandonmotley9986]

He dumbed it down but still got burnt by the ether.

[@Gumardee_coins_and_banknotes]

Ah I wondered why I hate corporate jobs. 😅

[@Ludwigous]

Yeah sometimes who you know is not who you should be using to network as sometimes it’s people in your network who’d just as easily like to see you fail Right, buddy?! 😀

[@BMC_377]

Who is the guy who worked at BSG and google?

[@john2knj]

@RichGilbert

[@caleymckibbin2304]

Quite amusing that he describes Jordan Peterson, the ultimate example of pandering midwit, as very smart.

[@musicsamples100]

24:00 what about dumb work for little money.

[@englishguru0007]

Come to think of it I can't think of any high IQ world leader except maybe the Malay, Singaporean and Chinese leadership

[@phoenixrising4995]

Lisa Su and Elon Musk (well unless it comes to buying a failing social media network at a premium).

[@arinthel]

Putin. There's a number of declassified State Department documents out there to the effect that Putin is an extremely smart, dangerous adversary

[@roberthicks2909]

The genius part of videos like this is everyone thinks theyre smarter than average and the dunning kruger strikes again. But because people dont want to think fo themselves as less intelligent they will think this video is tailored to us lol

[@ErichRed721]

Having an IQ, period means the recipient of the IQ can't survive in the wild...

[@Ludwigous]

I can see where they’re taking this and it’s annoying

[@MrAmbrosse]

Everyone thinks they are the "smart" one in their work place.

[@janedrew3050]

To the fella that commented on DEI hires. DEI hurts us all. I can't believe im quoting George Bush but the "soft bigotry of low expectations is a thing." If i wanted to do pointless monotonous paperwork all day, i would have become a secretary! For the love of god please quit telling people they should learn to code.

[@milesblue638]

@janedrew3050 The most mediocre co-workers and bosses I've worked with have overwhelmingly been yt, hetero, CIS, males.

[@a.y.greyson9264]

@@milesblue638 Exactly. 9 times out of 10. And it’s completely baffling. Our CTO literally doesn’t even know how to code but definitely knows how to spin a story and sell concepts.

[@titianarasputin]

Stay poor, stay enslaved to the rich, everything is fine.

[@commandermudpie]

You can't blame your problems on the Greeks. Me thinks thee complains too much. If you don't want to keep your corporate job find some other work. In my view, smart a-holes don't help get things done... just leave please... I am tired of trying to save you from yourself.

[@economicsethan]

😄😁🤭

[@ynkybomber]

Insurance adjuster here, people who play dumb dont last long here.