TL;DR: History mocks the warlord Yuan Shu for failing, but his failure was inevitable. An incompetent leader cannot hire a genius strategist because they lack the cognitive framework to distinguish a Genius from a Con Artist. If you are standing in a room of liars, only a smart person can spot the one truth-teller. Advice only works if you are already smart enough to understand it within 5 minutes.
James here, CEO of Mercury Technology Solutions.
People often ask, "Why didn't warlords like Yuan Shu just hire better advisors?" This question reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of leadership.
Think about it from Yuan Shu's perspective. He is cognitively limited (to put it politely). Outside his tent stands a line of consultants.
- Consultant A says he is Zhuge Liang.
- Consultant B says he is Zhuge Liang.
- Consultant C says he is Zhuge Liang.
To a fool, Genius and Madness look exactly the same. Yuan Shu cannot distinguish the signal from the noise because he lacks the hardware to process the signal.
1. The Recognition Threshold
This is why Liu Bei succeeded. Liu Bei wasn't as smart as Zhuge Liang, but he was smart enough to be dangerous. He was intelligent enough to filter out 99% of the scammers. When he scanned the room, he saw through the fakes. When he met Zhuge Liang, he didn't understand everything, but he understood enough to know: "This is the one I can't see through."
The Rule: A lower-dimensional being cannot recognize a higher-dimensional being. A monkey cannot tell the difference between Einstein and a madman in a lab coat. Unless you raise your own dimension, you are blind.
2. Munger's 5-Minute Rule
Charlie Munger once said something profound about investing: "If you explain an investment idea to someone and they don't get it within 5 minutes, they never will. Move on."
This is the Theory of Dimensional Compatibility. Communication only happens between people on the same frequency.
When I advise clients, I realize there are only two real outcomes:
- The Resonance (You are already smart): I explain a strategy, and you nod immediately. You say, "I was thinking something similar." In this case, I am not a savior. I am just a confirmation. Without me, you (Liu Bei) would still be powerful. I just made you faster.
- The Luck Attribution (You are a Gambler): You don't actually understand my strategy. You are just betting on luck. It just so happens that during your lucky streak, you hired me. You attribute your success to me, but in reality, you never listened to a word I said. You just mistook me for another gambler.
Conclusion: You Are the Ceiling
If you feel like you are surrounded by idiots, or that you can't find "good talent," the problem isn't the market. The problem is your filter.
If you are a "0," every "1" looks like a threat or a liar. If you want a Zhuge Liang, you don't need to look harder. You need to become a Liu Bei.
Your company's intelligence is capped by your own ability to recognize it.
Mercury Technology Solutions: Accelerate Digitality.
