Within a few minutes of meeting Patrick, I knew I was talking to a man much smarter than me.

We'd just met in his company's office, where I was onsite to run a How to Lead Dynamic Teams workshop for one of their departments. He wasn't in the session, he was grabbing lunch in the break room.

The way he effortlessly broke down the engineering and environmental challenges in their world was mesmerizing. The terms he used, the speed he talked at, it was candidly a little intimidating.

As we wrapped up, I walked around the corner and found the leader who'd brought me in for the day. I couldn't help myself. "Wow, Patrick is smart."

Her response: "Yes, brilliant. But lazy. He's one of our lowest-performing Principals because he talks a lot and doesn't back it up with action."

It reminded me of a wise line I've heard before. “An idiot in motion goes further than a genius at rest. That's because the world doesn't reward what you know, it rewards what you do.”

The world is full of brilliant, highly educated people who know more facts and details than most. Impressive, sure. But not nearly as impressive as the person who isn't as smart but has a bias for action.

The one who knows they'll learn through experience, not books. The one who takes what they learn from doing and pivots quickly to make the next move sharper.

Given the choice, would you rather be the idiot or the genius? Of course you'd say genius, but only if it's paired with massive action. If not, take the idiot who acts. That idiot learns fast and turns the education into results.