Adriane Schwager, CEO and co-founder of GrowthAssistant, recently shared a significant insight on social media regarding common career pitfalls observed among highly intelligent individuals. Drawing from her extensive experience hiring thousands of professionals from prestigious institutions like Harvard, MIT, and Stanford, as well as talent globally, Schwager highlighted a crucial misconception.
According to her tweet, one of the primary career mistakes smart people make is failing to internalize the idea that "everything around you was built by people no smarter than you." This statement underscores the importance of humility, continuous learning, and the recognition that innovation and achievement are not exclusive to a select few, but rather the result of collective effort and perseverance.
Schwager's perspective stems from a career spanning over 20 years in recruiting and human resources. As CEO of GrowthAssistant, a company she co-founded, she oversees a business model that embeds elite, college-educated offshore talent, primarily from the Philippines, into U.S. teams. GrowthAssistant has seen rapid success, growing to over $11 million in less than three years by providing full-time, dedicated assistants for tasks ranging from marketing to operations.
The company's focus on sourcing top-tier global talent, who are fluent in English and possess strong educational backgrounds, provides Schwager with a unique vantage point on professional development and common challenges faced by high-achievers. Her insights encourage a mindset shift, urging individuals to overcome potential self-imposed limitations or over-reliance on academic credentials. This perspective is particularly relevant in today's dynamic global workforce, where adaptability and a proactive approach are highly valued.