I am a 31 year old professional. Moderately gifted. The majority of my battles throughout my life have only been with me. I am well travelled and have learned so much about different cultures and perspectives that I tend to value the differences instead of worrying that they are not like me.
I am confronting a new struggle. One based on perception. And one I have never dealt with until now. And I am having a lot of difficulty discussing it with others. And that is the perception that my intelligence is being perceived, quite often, as being pretentious. When I look at myself and try to evaluate and diagnose. I see myself as eager to learn, a very quick learner, willing to do multiple tasks, organized; I prioritize well and troubleshoot very well. In meeting or situations where I know I�m already well ahead of the curve, I am quiet and take notes. I work hard not to appear that I already know everything. I am cognizant of the fact that the majority of the people around do not already have the information, or (in the majority of cases) cannot retain the information that was taught previously.
Does it show that much on my face? When I do talk is my tone so pompous that I don�t notice it?
I can tell you that I feel pretentious when I try to address it. I feel like I am confronting someone and telling them right to their face, �I am smarter than you, now let�s find a way to deal with it.� Despite how much I tiptoe around it.
I am an introvert. I do make attempts to work out the perception that people have. But as soon as I get the signal that it isn�t going anywhere, fast, I go back to keeping my mouth shut and hoping that my performance alone will get me by. It often does, but I�m not a jerk, I don�t think you�re stupid for not knowing what I know, or being able to learn as fast, or having a good memory. I like people for who they are.
I am posting because I suspect many of you here deal with this issue on some level. And I would love to get some advice. Especially when dealing with managers and directors in the office. I kneejerk dumbing myself down to blend in, and the times I have actually tried to have more realistic conversations with those above me I have only had poor results. Often based on the perception, and rarely is what I am actually saying or describing taken into account. Cheers
