The Paceline

The popular game show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” can make a lot of us grimace and laugh at the same time – just like conversations with our kids.

A recent conversation between one my favorite moms and her daughters, Suzy, a 6th grader, and Lily, a 3rd grader, went like this:

Suzy is telling mom about a girl in her class whose mom is pregnant.

Mom:  “Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that some of your classmates have moms young enough to have kids.  Well, come to think of it, your dad and I could actually have another baby.”

Suzy:  “Yeah, but by the time it was a toddler, you’d be dead.”

Mom thinking: Hey, I’m not that old.

Then they start talking about a girl nicknamed Tory whose mom is English.

Lily: “Hey, that’s pretty funny that her mom is English and her nickname is Tory.”

Suzy:  “Why?”

Lily:  “You know from “Bloody Jack,” the Tories were the Loyalists and the Whigs were the Patriots.”

Mom, in resignation:  This is where I realize that not only am I not smarter than my 6th grader, I am also NOT smarter than my 3rd grader – and I’m old to boot!

Funny stuff from the home!  But what about at work?  Are you smarter than a fifth grader when you’re leading your team?  Do you have all the answers?  Are you sure?

You’ve worked hard to surround yourself with good people – to get the right people on the bus.  Are you consulting with your staff or dictating to them?

You might find that several brains are better than one.  You might find that the team really is smarter than a fifth grader.