Why Smart People Say Stupid S**t

Happy Thursday,

I have made a lot of mistakes in my career as a leader. Much of what I write about today is grounded in those experiences. Sure, learning from those mistakes has made me a better leader, but some of them have cost me too. Failed outcomes, poor performance reviews, dented self confidence, damage to my reputation, just to name a few consequences. But the mistakes that cost me the most often came from the same place. One that still catches many leaders I work with today, particularly the smart, capable ones. So let’s go there.

🧠 LEARN something.

If you lead long enough, you start to notice a familiar pattern. The CFO with strong views on neuroscience. The engineer confidently diagnosing team psychology. The founder who just knows what great culture looks like. These are smart, well intentioned people in their own right. Yet they do or say stupid stuff, and speak with certainty about things they do not truly understand. It’s called epistemic trespassing. When an expert in one field makes claims in another field where they do not have expertise, without realising they have crossed a boundary. In organisations, this sort of intellectual overreach is often amplified by seniority. I have been guilty of this, and had to check myself more than a few times in my career. I still do today. The bigger the title, the easier it is to believe your judgement travels well. This is why senior leaders often weigh in heavily on things that sit well beyond their real depth, then feel surprised when outcomes disappoint.

In reality, we see the same pattern play out in the public domain. People who have had success in medicine or physics become authorities in politics, sociology, or even public health. A tech billionaire believes they can solve a geopolitical crisis. Or a celebrity with screen success feels qualified to weigh in on complex social policy. Different stages, same mistake. Achievement in one field is treated as proof of wisdom in all others. When you have authority and influence, your hunch sounds like insight and your words still carry weight. Back in your organisations, add real world time pressures and deadlines, egos and insecurities, and the issue gets amplified further. Modern organisations are both deeply specialised and tightly interconnected. No one can genuinely master finance, technology, human behaviour, risk, and operations at once. The real work of leadership is not being a voice on everything. It is knowing when to stop talking and start listening. When leaders trespass epistemically, trust erodes, experts disengage, and poor decisions prevail.

🤔 REFLECT on an idea.

Drucker’s quote is an antidote to epistemic trespassing. It invites you to notice the moment when your confidence climbs faster than your actual knowledge, and to replace that instinct to pronounce with a disciplined habit of asking better questions.

😊 SMILE a little.

Nothing says “I might be out of my depth” like calling something “common sense” that an expert has spent 20 years understanding and mastering.😄

✅ DO IT to get results.

Epistemic trespassing can often stem from deep internal urges: the desire to help and solve someone else's problem, to be the person relied upon, or simply because you care about the outcome. It can also come from inner insecurity or ego, where you feel compelled to contribute an answer to protect your reputation and credibility. So, whenever that itch arises, lead with curiosity instead. Help map the course, rather than defining the destination. Start with: “Talk me through how you are thinking about this,” “What might I not see from my seat?” or “What am I missing here?” Then keep going. The best experts are not the ones with answers, but oftentimes the ones with better questions.

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Kenny Bhosale

CEO & Founder, The Bridge Leaders