11 Things Brilliant People Do To Make Incompetent People Hate Them
Brilliant people always seek to learn more, where incompetent people lack the same drive.
Ground Picture | Shutterstock True brilliance has less to do with a person's IQ score and more to do with how they approach the world around them. While most people accept things as they are, brilliant people want to understand the reasons why. Of all the things brilliant people do to make incompetent people hate them, their propensity for pushing against the status quo tops the list.
Incompetent people tend to stay well within the confines of what they're supposed to do, while brilliant people have no problem going against the grain. Brilliant people channel their natural curiosity and inquisitive mindset into everything they do. They're not satisfied with simple explanations because they're always seeking a deeper truth.
Here are 11 things brilliant people do to make incompetent people hate them
1. Challenge assumptions
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Brilliant people ask difficult questions, challenging commonly-held beliefs. They don't do this to be antagonistic or push people's buttons; rather, they genuinely want to understand why the world works as it does. Their minds operate on a deeper level and they're not scared to sit in the gray space of complex, nuanced issues.
Brilliant people are committed to the endless quest for knowledge and truth. Their brains operate on a higher vibration, which makes incompetent people hate them.
They don't expect simple answers and they don't even mind if there are no answers to be found. Brilliant people know that life doesn't fit into narrowly-defined boxes, highlighting an essential truth that incompetent people can't fully understand.
2. Find solutions instead of complaining
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Incompetent people focus on how hard a problem is to solve, while brilliant people take action to find solutions. Instead of complaining, they hone their critical thinking skills and uncover new approaches to whatever obstacle is in their way.
Author and consultant Bruce Tulgan pointed out the power of being a problem solver in a world of complainers. "No problem is so small that it should be left alone," he explained. "When you diagnose a problem, start focusing intensely on implementing concrete solutions."
Tulgan shared a crucial part of being an effective problem solver that sets people apart from the crowd: Engaging in a practice of "constant, rigorous self-evaluation." By asking themselves how to be "a better workplace citizen," problem solvers set their minds to self-improvement. This quality makes incompetent people hate them, because it highlights the drive and commitment they lack.
3. Admit their mistakes
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One of the major things brilliant people do to make incompetent people hate them is admitting to their faults. As hard as it is for incompetent people to admit they're wrong, brilliant people have no problem owning up to their mistakes.
Taking accountability is an area where brilliant people truly shine. They have enough wisdom to know that they don't know everything, and they let their intellectual humility guide them through life.
In holding themselves accountable for their actions, brilliant people expect others to do the same, which makes incompetent people hate them. Their resentment speaks volumes to what's really holding them back from taking responsibility for themselves: fear.
As life coach Roland Legge explained, "People who have trouble admitting they are wrong have difficulty seeing beyond themselves. Many are insecure, have a strong ego, and are afraid of looking stupid."
He concluded, "When we are stuck in our personality, we don't have full access to our inner wisdom and thus get stuck in fear. It is hard to admit we are wrong when we are stuck in fear."
4. Adapt to new environments
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Brilliant people have an innate flexibility and open-minded perspective that helps them adapt to the new situations with ease. They have no trouble evolving, while incompetent people get stuck in their ways, due to their fixed mindset. In contrast, brilliant people cultivate a growth mindset, which helps them embrace the unknown.
Health coach and positive psychology practitioner Lisa Newman outlined how these two opposing mindsets lead people to see their capabilities in very different ways.
"A fixed mindset [is] a stuck place that prevents you from seeing other possibilities," she explained. "People with this mindset think nothing can be done to improve, and they may become overwhelmed in the face of challenges."
"A growth mindset allows you to be open to reflection, to notice and celebrate even slight improvements, and to be better able to embrace life's challenges," Newman continued, noting that this mindset "allows for growth [and] learning" over time.
Brilliant people know that change is the only constant. They see life's shifting tides as a push toward self-improvement, giving them the opportunity for transformation, which is one of the world's most profound gifts.
5. Stay calm under pressure
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Brilliant people are experts at channeling their inner calm. Their mastery of mindfulness makes incompetent people hate them. Incompetent people seek out distractions more than brilliant people do, since they don't know how to sit with their thoughts. They lack the self-awareness and sense of peace that brilliant people have access to.
Part of what makes brilliant people so exceptional is their ability to approach high-pressure situations as the most cool and collected versions of themselves. Incompetent people have a different energy than brilliant people do.
They have a hectic energy, mostly because they don't know how to center themselves or stay grounded. Incompetent people lead with chaos, while brilliant people move through the world with ease.
6. Work smarter, not harder
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If there's one thing that separates brilliant people from incompetent people, it's how they utilize their time. Brilliant people prioritize efficiency. They live and breathe the idea of working smarter, not harder, and incompetent people hate them for that. Incompetent people often put in more effort for worse results because they haven't mastered the art of time management.
Award-winning author Jennifer Wilkov explained how the technique of time-blocking helps people unlock their productivity and work in ways that suit them best.
"Time management is about more than telling yourself to focus and cutting out distractions," she explained. Effective time management means structuring your day "in the context of your time. That means reclaiming it and owning it as your own, and therefore making the best of it."
While multitasking involves giving some of your attention to many things at once, time-blocking involves scheduling time to complete a task and setting an intention on how to use that time in the most productive way.
"Time blocking is the runway to the life you imagine," Wilkov concluded. "Use it to its fullest so you can get more done in less time with more joy."
7. Set high standards
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Brilliant people set high standards, just by virtue of how highly intelligent and capable they are. Their achievements often make others feel inadequate. Incompetent people compare themselves to those standards, feeling resentful when they don't measure up.
Even though they set the bar high, it's one of the things brilliant people do to make incompetent people hate them. They understand how damaging perfectionism can be.
Psychologist Judith Tutin described perfectionism as "the relentless striving for flawlessness and excessively high performance... by which we consistently judge ourselves and find ourselves wanting." For all their striving, perfectionists have a hard time accepting their flaws, which holds them back from being fully authentic. Brilliant people embrace those less-than-perfect parts of themselves, because they know that perfection is the enemy of progress.
"It's OK to celebrate successes, but you are more than your wins," Tutin explained. "Failure makes us human, and talking about failure allows us to get the support we need and increases our empathy toward others."
8. Accept feedback with grace
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Brilliant people don't shy away from the truth, even when it's difficult to hear. They believe in the power of constructive critique. They receive feedback with a generous spirit, something that makes incompetent people hate them.
Incompetent people get defensive when they're faced with feedback, even when it's presented gently. For brilliant people, feedback isn't a personal attack, but a blueprint for how they can keep getting better at what they do. They're always seeking ways to grow, and they understand the value of an outside perspective.
As life coach and consultant Amy Bracht shared, feedback is a stepping stone, given with the "ultimate goal to foster continuous improvement." She advised, "View criticism as a chance for professional growth. Mistakes and failures are not endpoints but part of the learning curve that propels you forward."
Bracht acknowledged that feedback can elicit an emotional reaction, touching on the importance of balancing feedback with self-compassion. "While it's important to be open to criticism, also acknowledge what you do well. This balance can maintain your motivation and confidence," she shared.
Brilliant people enter conversations with a curious mind, ready to examine the places where they can improve, so they can integrate that guidance into their future performance.
9. Make difficult decisions quickly
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Brilliant people have strong reasoning and critical thinking skills, so they make difficult decisions quickly. They're good at parsing out fact from fiction, which helps them in all aspects of life and makes incompetent people hate them.
During a conversation on the American Psychology Association's podcast, professors Lace Padilla and Hannah Perfecto discussed the intersection of psychology and decision-making, outlining the factors at play for both good and bad decisions.
"I think of a good decision as someone using all the information available to them to the best of their ability," Dr. Padilla said. "I often see bad decisions as clearly someone misinterpreting or misunderstanding information that was presented to them that would ultimately lead to some type of error in their reasoning."
"People just sometimes go too fast," Dr. Perfecto added. "It feels right, they go with what they see, and then they end up somewhere they don't want to be. Whereas if they had taken a little bit more time and sat with it, they wouldn't have made those errors."
There's no guarantee that a decision will lead someone exactly where they want to go, but by taking time to consider their options, people can set themselves up for more success than just diving in head first.
10. Negotiate skillfully
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Something that sets brilliant people apart from incompetent people is their ability to negotiate. Having strong negotiation skills helps people who are at odds with each other communicate effectively and manage conflict, so they can reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
When they're negotiating, brilliant people channel the power of persuasion, but they also ask for what they want in clear terms. Their direct communication style cuts through the noise and makes them stand out, which incompetent people hate.
Brilliant people have both a high IQ and high emotional intelligence, which allows them to understand other people's motives and reactions. Brilliant people understand that negotiation is about more than just getting what they want. It's expressing their needs while causing as little harm as possible.
11. Protect their energy
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Brilliant people have the capacity for protecting their peace, while incompetent people tend to thrive on drama. They resent the way brilliant people take care of themselves, because they blame their drama on others, without looking at how they're perpetuating it.
Brilliant people protect their energy by knowing their own limits. They set clear boundaries and stick to them. A big part of their brilliance comes from knowing themselves deeply, which means they act in line with their values, letting their inner compass guide them.
Alexandra Blogier, MFA, is a staff writer who covers psychology, social issues, relationships, self-help topics, and human interest stories.