How To Lead When Your Team is Smarter Than You (Or More Experienced)

The reality check every leader faces: At some point, you’ll lead people who are more experienced, skilled, or knowledgeable than you are. It’s intimidating, but it’s also inevitable.

From directing high-stakes projects with A-list talent to managing teams of seasoned experts, I’ve learned that being the “smartest person in the room” isn’t what makes you a leader.

Here’s My 6 Principles for Leading Up

1. Lead softly – Don’t clamp down or constantly remind people you’re in charge. If you have to keep saying you’re the leader, you’re not leading.
2. Acknowledge their strengths – Nothing wins teams over like knowing you value their expertise. Don’t hoard praise.
3. Allow them freedom – Experienced professionals don’t need micromanagement. Trust their judgment.
4. Don’t let them see you sweat – Your team needs to know you have a plan. Leadership vacuums get filled quickly.
5. Respect their input – Create space for opinions and feedback. This builds loyalty, not opposition.
6. Leverage their brilliance – Stop worrying about what you don’t know and maximize what they know.

As Steve Jobs famously said: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”

The bottom line: Your job isn’t to be the smartest person on the team. It’s to help the smartest people on your team do their best work.