622. How Not to Be Stupid

Aug 15, 2025

Unlock the secret to long-term success by learning how to avoid stupidity. Explore seven critical factors that can lead even the brightest minds to overlook important information. Delve into the impact of stress, overconfidence, and groupthink on decision-making. Discover proactive strategies to safeguard against poor choices in challenging environments. It's all about consistently making smarter decisions and avoiding the pitfalls that can derail your progress.

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INSIGHT

Avoiding Stupidity Beats Being Brilliant

Charlie Munger prioritized avoiding stupidity over seeking brilliance as a path to long-term advantage.
This reframes success as consistent error avoidance rather than constant genius.

ANECDOTE

Robinson's Definition Of Stupidity

Adam Robinson spent a month defining stupidity before speaking about it at an investor conference.
He landed on: overlooking or dismissing conspicuously crucial information.

INSIGHT

Smart People Still Miss The Obvious

Stupidity in Robinson's sense isn't low IQ; smart people can overlook the obvious in complex settings.
Intelligence can create blind spots when environments or tasks become complicated.

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Charlie Munger believed the secret to long-term success wasn’t brilliance, it was avoiding stupidity.

Today, Brian breaks down one of the best frameworks for doing exactly that, courtesy of Adam Robinson: seven factors that dramatically increase the odds you’ll miss the obvious.

These aren’t about low IQ; they can trip up the smartest people in the room. We’ll unpack how environments, groupthink, overconfidence, overload, stress, and hurry can engineer mistakes… and, more importantly, how to safeguard against them.

The goal isn’t to be a genius every day, it’s to consistently avoid the avoidable.

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Meet Your Host:

Brian Gubernick is a visionary leader with over 20 years of diverse business and life experience. Currently the Chief Real Estate Officer for PLACE Inc and Co-Founder of Metrix Masterminds, Brian has held numerous other significant roles in the real estate industry including property investor, Realtor, sales team owner, brokerage operating partner, title/escrow company investor, property management partner, and start-up executive. Brian has also trained and/or personally coached thousands of sales professionals on the tenants of business success, leadership, and personal development.

Brian’s passion for excellence is matched only by his love for family. He resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife and two daughters. When he’s not creating exceptional real estate experiences or nurturing his entrepreneurial ventures, Brian can be found enjoying quality time with his loved ones.

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