{"id":1043,"date":"2021-07-29T06:00:06","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T06:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/?post_type=columns&p=1043"},"modified":"2021-12-22T22:54:35","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T03:54:35","slug":"a-room-full-of-smart-people","status":"publish","type":"columns","link":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/columns\/a-room-full-of-smart-people\/","title":{"rendered":"A room full of \u2018Smart People\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

In marketing and in life in general, I believe it\u2019s critical to surround yourself with people who know things that you don\u2019t know. It\u2019s what I call my \u201cRoom Full of Smart People\u201d rule. Let me illustrate.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re sitting in a room full of folks who have come together for a meeting on a particular topic. It soon becomes completely obvious that you\u2019re the only one there who knows anything about the subject matter. Oh, boy. So, instead of a conversation, it soon becomes a question-and-answer period, a picking of your brain, a monologue. No fun, right? You might as well have stayed home and written a manifesto on the topic because nothing you don\u2019t already know is going to come about from this meeting.<\/p>\n

Now, consider another scenario. You\u2019re in a room full of experts, each one with their own informed professional perspective. The conversation is lively. Perhaps there\u2019s a debate. Someone grabs a Sharpie and attacks a whiteboard with enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

Which meeting would you rather attend? The second one, right? The Room Full of Smart People.<\/p>\n

Bringing together a group of \u201cSmart People\u201d in your company is a way to make sure you\u2019re bringing the best ideas forward for your operation, your customers and your bottom line. While it\u2019s great to have your own personal vision for the business, everyone has blind spots. It takes a group of people who are able to look at things from multiple perspectives to cover as many angles as possible. Associating with people of different ages, backgrounds and life experiences can help you get a tighter grip on what your customers\u2019 likes and needs might be, especially if your customer target audience is older, younger, or different from you in some way. Diversity in hiring is not just about social equity, it\u2019s good business because it offers you a varied point of view.<\/p>\n

Following the Smart People rule will help you develop and implement fresh ideas and could actually make it even easier to continue hiring quality employees. As your employees notice that you really listen to suggestions and are open to other opinions, it\u2019ll build a more open culture in your business that\u2019s attractive to potential hires looking for growth.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve got a few Smart People in my back pocket, folks I\u2019ll call upon as the need arises, and not all of them work for me. While it\u2019s good to have those other perspectives on-staff, sometimes it\u2019s helpful to have an outside voice who can speak to a tough situation without necessarily having skin in the game or their paycheck on the line. Mentors who don\u2019t work for you but who understand your industry can offer invaluable insights. Mastermind groups through your Chamber of Commerce or similar organizations can help you get a handle on your local marketplace. Organizations like the Irrigation Association offer insightful resources, and the annual Irrigation Show and Education Week provides the chance to meet other business owners who are facing similar challenges to your own. Consultants who offer an expertise that you don\u2019t possess, such as accountants, attorneys, computer\/IT techs and marketing professionals can become secret weapons in your Smart People arsenal.<\/p>\n

Running a business is tough enough. Doing it all by yourself can be exhausting. Whenever you have the opportunity, surround yourself with people who know what you don\u2019t know. Cultivate those relationships. Be open to new ideas and new ways of thinking about your business. Believe me, it\u2019s the quickest path to success. Plus, it makes the journey a whole lot more interesting.<\/p>\n

This column originally appeared in Irrigation & Green Industry magazine.<\/em><\/h6>\n
Stacie Zinn Roberts<\/strong><\/a> is an award-winning writer, marketing expert and founder of What\u2019s Your Avocado? Marketing and Public Relations, Mount Vernon, Washington, which specializes in green industry marketing. She can be reached at\u00a0stacie@whatsyouravocado.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s critical to surround yourself with people who know things that you don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1761,"parent":0,"template":"","columns-categories":[46],"main-categories":[50],"class_list":["post-1043","columns","type-columns","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","columns-categories-business-to-business","main-categories-business-development"],"yoast_head":"\nA room full of \u2018Smart People\u2019 - Irrigation & Lighting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Following the "Smart People" rule by hiring employees of diverse backgrounds and experiences can help you realize customers\u2019 needs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/columns\/a-room-full-of-smart-people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A room full of \u2018Smart People\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Following the "Smart People" rule by hiring employees of diverse backgrounds and experiences can help you realize customers\u2019 needs.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/columns\/a-room-full-of-smart-people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Irrigation & Lighting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-12-23T03:54:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/room-full-smart-people.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"467\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Irrigation & Lighting\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/\",\"sameAs\":[],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Irrigation-and-Lighting-LogoNoTag.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Irrigation-and-Lighting-LogoNoTag.jpg\",\"width\":1117,\"height\":178,\"caption\":\"Irrigation & Lighting\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/\",\"name\":\"Irrigation & Lighting\",\"description\":\"The business and technology magazine for contractors\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/columns\/a-room-full-of-smart-people\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/room-full-smart-people.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/room-full-smart-people.jpg\",\"width\":700,\"height\":467,\"caption\":\"Smart people rule\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/columns\/a-room-full-of-smart-people\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/columns\/a-room-full-of-smart-people\/\",\"name\":\"A room full of \\u2018Smart People\\u2019 - 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