I keep overrating intelligence

So, I know what I’m about to reveal reflects badly on me (evergreen tweet).

As I’ve written, I recently got a job in the service industry, after 18 years in the corporate world. I work at an entertainment venue slash restaurant and bar that we’re calling Playtime, Inc. That’s not the embarrassing part. Not really, anyway.

What reflects badly on me is how surprised I was by how intelligent my colleagues are.

To explain what I think is going on, I want to talk a bit about my first round of service industry jobs, and my mother.