I met with a small group of IDC officers some years back and one of my fellow Captains wanted to make sure all of us understood he was the smartest guy in the room. It wasn't a declarative verbal statement. But, you readily understood his intent. He professed his sincere apologies for arriving late to our meeting. It wasn't long before he made it known that his schedule was way overbooked and he really didn't even have time for the meeting we were currently involved in and he would have to depart early. Thank goodness one of his Sailors brought him his coffee and he had time to take a few sips before he jaunted off for his next meeting for which he was already late. Good thing he was a Captain and those 40 Sailors didn't mind waiting. Quite the busy man.
He wasn't the smartest person in the room, nor was he even the smartest man in the room. Self importance is not a virtue in most environments requiring servant leadership.
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