Dear Colleague,

If you define "being smart" as a tendency to e.g. overpower your teammembers (and others), I think in the end this may turn out to be counterproductive, so less successful. This is the more so, because at the present science includes teamwork, if you like it or not. For that reason the so-called emotional intelligence is appreciated now, which has to do with empathy more than with just "being smart". The final goals are then achieved more easily, if this is what you mean.

Wishing you success, with kind greetings,

Koos Jaap van Zwieten

In my opinion, a more smart person will be envied by most , if not all, around in the workplace so they will work hard against him/her in a witch-hunt manner in order to prevent the "loud" success of that person. A less smart person will opt for playing "the rules of the game" without an ambition of rising above the others so the gates will become open for the envisaged "limited" success of such person.

l think that may be because smart people want to find an ideal situation to perform which at the end facing many obstacles and falling down. 

There is a nice Japanese proverb which says "The nail that sticks out will be hammered down" The saying means that if one is like the others no harm will occur, but if you stick out, you’ll get attacked.

I think that smart people usually think they are good enough to wait for better deals. Therefore, when many opportunities knock the door for them, they just want to wait, wait for 'a better one' coming. Then, all the opportunities come and go, while the 'better ones' are never come. This might be one of the reasons!?

Smarter people sometime do not work hard enough.

There is yet an other famous saying " When talent(smartness) doesn't work hard, Hard work beats talent(smart guys). Bottom line is there is no substitute for hard work. Through hard work(Of-course with proper planning) anybody can be more successful in their field of interest.

I think, such generalizations are never right. And I really don't understand, why smart people shouldn't be as successfull as less smarter people.

Success depends on many factors, amongst others is intelligence, but also luck, hard work and so on. But I also read articles about the fact that less empathetic people are more successfull than empathetic people. And this sounds logical to me, because such people literally walk over dead bodies.

It depends on that how you describe smartness. In my opinion the smartest person is the most successful one because he/she was able to prosper in life. 

It depends on which society the smarts are living. If they live in an individualistic, low power distance, low uncertainty and long-term orientation society the chance to improve is high. 

I seriously doubt that smarter people are less successful in general. And, frankly, I have not seen many "less smart" people making it in the long run in an academic environment, either. 

Dear Subhash:

In general, the more smart people should have more chances of success at work because they can solve affairs of the company in a quick and effective way but may have oversights that are sometimes fatal in decisions made.

The less intelligent people are very organized nature and achieve goals safely, then you should combine the two aspects to achieve goals without trouble in the decisions made at work.

There is nothing matter like more or less smartness. Actually, it's an attitude  that make you success-this word is also a comparative and have different meanings in different conditions of comparisons.

I am not an expert in this field, but let me try to answer your question based on my experience and observation at workplace.

Smart people always try to find new solutions to problem they face in workplace so some time they fail, while less smart people just cut and paste so most of the time they are successful in workplace. 

Much depends on how one defines and measures one's "success".  If one defines a success by one's 'self-satisfaction' (not by what others say about them),  then the majority of smart people are more likely to be successful in the long run (though not in the short run) if and only if they have the patience.

Thanks.

Mansur Masih

I agree with Ralf. To me smart means more intelligent and hard working. Yes, they face more obstruction; quite as Mahmoud talks of the Japanese proverb. But eventually they get their way. I tell my friends that despite the obstructions you face, some one is watching your work, and you will get the reward some day. I have a strong belief in that. Nothing succeeds like success.

Hi

Most of the times more smarter people

Have more self-confidence, that's why pay less attention on doing things.

For example they say that if I read once, I can get a good grade in English test, but they don't know that there is sth which can be obtained by taking care and be precise, and vice versa.

As I said most of them not all.

Regards

I believe everyone is smart.  You need to define what is success first ?  Becoming a CEO? Earn a lot of money ?  Or become a celebrity ? Great sports player ?  Individual success depends on realizing one's own talents and using them to get ahead in life.  If you do not know your own strengths and weaknesses, that means you are not smart.  But most smart people know what they are good at and focus on their strengths, not on their weaknesses.