Know-it-alls. We have all encountered them. Whether it is at work, school or even in our homes, we have had to deal with a person who just seems to know all the answers to everything and anything found in the universe and its great mysteries. For most of us, the fact that they possess infinite amounts of knowledge is not even the worst part. Heck, if they have the mental power to know EVERYTHING, they should not hold themselves back. The issue, simply put, is when they become assholes about it. Excuse the language, but we have all been there. We find ourselves at work or a family dinner, trying to contribute and BANG! Not only do we get unnecessarily shut down mid stride of our point, but they make us look like idiots in the process. After the fact, you are powerless. You want to snap back and refute their point, but you cannot because you, unlike them, have more self control and respect than to make somebody look foolish. Know-it-alls just have to let everybody else know that they are the smartest person in room.

To the Know-It-Alls…

Dude, or dudette, we get it. You are smarter than the common person. Through sheer talent or hard work, you have managed to gain an impressive mental capability that is matched by very few. With that in mind, it does not give you the right to be an asshole. Putting people down with your knowledge makes you look like a fool and hurts your networking skill in the long run. Correcting people and the ability to contribute into the environment that you are in is necessary, by all means. But the minute you turn and start trying to make yourself like look the smartest person in the room, the environment becomes toxic for you and the other people in it.

I have been there in both work and school. I will admit that when I was younger, I would walk into places and simply assume that I was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Here is what I learned though. By walking into a room and automatically assuming that you are better than everybody, you hurt ability to learn new things because you complete crush two key relationships. The first is the relationship is with person who is in charge. This can be a teacher in a classroom, a manager at work, etc. You are not the first know-it-all they have encountered and know that the best way to handle somebody like you is to simply ignore you. Also, your brain shuts out anything useful they say because why should it absorb anything new if it already knows everything? Basically, you are not gaining anything from the person who by study and experience actually knows more than you. The second relationship severed is those who are at the same level as you. At face value, you may be smarter than them, but that does not mean they do not know something that you do not. Everybody has experienced different things in life, hence everybody is more knowledge in certain areas than others. This bridge to gain information from peers is burned by being a know-it-all.

Learning to be humble is key because it reduces your chances of being ignorant. Ignorance only leads to failure. Belittling and ignoring others will one day end up costing you because you are losing your ability to properly communicate with others. Plain and simple.

To everybody else…

Handling the know-it-all, or know-it-alls, in your life seems impossible at times. Time after time, they have crushed your place in a conversation and you just want to hit them square in the jaw. Unfortunately, this action will put you in a jail and solves nothing. The best thing to do is simply ignore them. At the end of the day, you are the better person because you are open minded and have the skill to keep growing as person. Meanwhile, the know-it-alls remain stagnant in their little sphere.

The point is that know-it-all are smart people but their biggest strength is also their biggest weakness. They oust the ability of others and hurt themselves in the end. Learning to become less of a know-it-all is equally as crucial as learning to a handle a know-it-all.