October 9, 2026

Business by the Book

Proverbs 15:22 Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

Nobody is the smartest person in the room. They may think so, but thinking something to be true doesn’t make it true. A person may be very wise, and in many things excel all others in knowledge, but there is always someone who knows more about something. Think of a room that is filled with highly successful people, one may know almost everything there is to know about accounting. Concerning accounting there may not be anyone in the room that could teach that person anything, but what if that person needed to make a decision about marketing? Another individual in that room may be a marketer par excellent. While the accountant may be the smartest accountant in the room, concerning marketing the marketer knows more than the accountant.

The marketer is not smarter than the accountant nor is the accountant smarter than the marketer, not in their arena of their expertise. For marketing decisions the accountant would be wise to consider the counsel of the marketer. For accounting decisions the marketer would be wise to consider the counsel of the accountant.

Understanding the above is a fundamental principle in business success that is constantly overlooked. Many become so successful at their chosen discipline of business that they begin to believe that they know more than just about everybody at everything. They soon begin to suffer from “the smartest person in the room” syndrome. This ailment will soon be manifested by disappointment.

How many business people have soared to success only to be brought crashing back to earth through manifold disappointments? Too many by far to be sure! If disappointments grow tiring, obtain wise counsel. A very wise and successful man once said “Every man is my teacher.”  This person was extremely successful, tops in his field in every measurable criterion. In a room full of people he sought out counsel from those wise in the areas that he was weak. He was smart, very smart, even exceptionally smart. He was so smart that he knew he was not the smartest man in the room.

Dr. William Howe