In the world of tech, consulting, design—or really any profession—there’s a familiar buzz around hiring “smart people.” The kind of individuals who crack problems before most even see them coming. Their brilliance lights up meetings, whiteboards, and Slack channels. Working with them is undeniably exhilarating.
But here’s the truth no one puts on job descriptions:
Working with smart people is great. Working with kind and humble people is next-level amazing.
Because while intelligence solves problems, kindness solves people.
Humility creates space for others to contribute.
Kindness builds safety to fail and learn.
And when smart people check their egos at the door, the real magic happens—collaboration becomes frictionless, ideas compound, and teams soar.
In contrast, working with someone who’s smart but dismissive? That brilliance can quickly feel like a burden. A team that values only IQ over EQ can achieve goals, sure—but often at the cost of morale, creativity, or mental well-being.
Give me a team where people:
say “I don’t know” with confidence, celebrate others’ wins more than their own, and bring their best while bringing out the best in others—
That’s the team I’ll bet on every single time.
In a world obsessed with who’s the smartest in the room, let’s start noticing who’s making the room better for everyone else.
Because next-level isn’t just intelligence.
It’s smart + kind + humble. That’s the future of great teams!
Kenrick Vaz 