I guess people read the title of my blog and think it says this^ instead. Ha. It is always fun to explain stuff like this during a job interview. Allow me a moment to differentiate for you.
Imagine for a moment: two smart people talking to you. They are discussing some complicated stuff. Eventually they disagree about something. One of them admits he might be wrong and the other insists he is absolutely right. No doubt in his mind. … which one are you going to believe? Which one is the better man? Confidence looks and feels nice, even if it is misplaced, but a fancy lie is still a lie.
I think we all agree that nobody likes a know-it-all, but not because they know so much stuff. It is more about their attitude. When I hear the term “know-it-all”, I think of someone who is always right, even when they are wrong. Like, they always have the answer to everything, but you suspect that they don’t. Knowing “all” just isn’t possible. Chances are, they guess or speculate sometimes. Maybe that isn’t a big-deal, unless you trust their expertise/advice and take it to work with you. If it turns out badly, who will pay the price? Not them.
A true elitist will face his shortcomings or mistakes with integrity and honesty. Admitting you’re wrong (or you don’t know) will feel bad, but it is an opportunity to learn and grow. After all, how can you be elite if you aren’t growing? If you are wrong and refuse to admit it, you are also choosing to stay that way. I’ve heard the first step to improvement is to admit there is a problem. Right? So refusing to relent isn’t elite at all. It is folly. It is Kryptonite. Holding-onto it is, well, kinda not-smart, wouldn’t you agree? Not elite.
If you ever want a fun little test, to see if someone (maybe yourself) is actually elite, or just an egotist, ask them to explain something they don’t really understand. They might try to guess, which is okay, but for example, maybe if you ask them about something like “When should you use stored procedures and when shouldn’t you?” an egotist won’t be able to admit that they don’t know. Their only recourse will be to say something like “because everyone does it” or “it is an industry standard” or best of all, “only an idiot would (disagree with me / ask that question / do the opposite of what I do)” etc. Key words to look for: “everyone”, “no-one”, “only an idiot”. Egotist manure. Check the bottom of your shoes before you come inside please.
If you still aren’t sure, you can dig a little deeper with questions like “Yes, I understand that part, but why do you think that is? Like, if I do the opposite, what repercussions will I face? (beyond your derision, of course). Also, what danger awaits, or what lasting damage will occur?”. You might even have to go one layer deeper, “yes, but why?”. You will either get a head-scratch and “I’m not sure” or “I guess I never thought about it like that” or you will get some salty trash-talk. I think you see the pattern.
I must admit that it feels pretty cool to have the correct answer to a lot of questions. People tend to look up to you if you know stuff and are rarely wrong. Unfortunately, this can sometimes go to a person’s head. It can become part of your identity and it can become a problem, if you aren’t careful enough.
Aah, the pain of being an elitist 