If You Are The Smartest Person In The Room, You Are In The Wrong Room

There is a saying you hear often in this industry: if you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. After two decades in digital, I can tell you it rings true every single time.

Working as a developer inside a web agency teaches you quickly that talent alone is not enough. The real growth happens when you are surrounded by people who see the world differently. Designers who spot problems before you do. Front end specialists who think in movement and clarity. Back end engineers who build systems that survive anything thrown at them. You realise the job is not to outshine them, but to learn from them.

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The power of seeing a problem from every angle

One of the best parts of agency life is the mix of minds you meet. A front end developer approaches a problem through feel, structure, and what the user sees. A back end developer thinks about data flow, constraints, and what will keep the system standing when thousands of people hit it at once.

Both perspectives matter. Both catch things the other does not.

Jurassic Park? 😂

A good example sits in an unexpected place: Jurassic Park. There is the moment the park systems go down. Ray Arnold focuses on restoring the architecture methodically, rebooting the park’s core. Ellie Sattler sees the danger unfolding live and knows waiting for a perfectly executed plan is not an option. One thinks in systems. The other thinks in consequences. Neither is wrong. The park only survives when both approaches align.

That is exactly how digital work feels. Calm planning from one side. Urgency from the other. Different instincts solving the same problem together.

Growth happens when you listen, not when you perform

Some of the best lessons I have learned came from people with completely different backgrounds or skill levels. A junior who questioned an assumption I had made. A designer who explained why a layout was confusing long before we wrote a line of code. A server engineer who showed me why a shortcut I loved would cost us dearly in six months.

You grow when you stay open. You stagnate when you believe you have nothing left to learn.

Good teams make that possible. They replace blame with support. They fix problems together rather than pointing fingers. There is no prize for being the smartest in the room. The real prize is a room where everyone feels safe enough to contribute.

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Less ego, more camaraderie

Ego rarely helps in this industry. It gets in the way of momentum and makes collaboration harder than it needs to be. A culture built on camaraderie and shared ownership is far more productive. You ship better work. You solve problems faster. Pressure feels lighter because you face it together.

There are moments when you might be the most experienced person in the room. Those times are not about proving anything. They are chances to guide others, pass on what you have learned, and help the team avoid pitfalls you have already seen. Mentorship becomes part of the craft.

When things go wrong, the question is not who caused this but how do we move forward together.

That mindset changes everything.

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Looking back with gratitude

When I look back at my career so far, I am grateful for the rooms I have been in and the people I have worked with. Designers, developers, strategists, and engineers have shaped the way I think and build. Every project, every tight deadline, every unexpected curveball has added something to my approach today.

Sometimes I have been surrounded by people who pushed me to rethink everything. Other times I have been the one helping others grow. Both situations have mattered just as much.

Every day is still a school day, whether you are learning or teaching. And I would not have it any other way.

Are you the smartest person in the room? 👀

It may be time to disappear into that hedge. 😂

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