They gain status by attacking people playing wealth creation games.” — Naval Ravikant. Dedicated to your stories and ideas. By playing the idiot you never do anything that draws too much attention, therefore you never have to worry about getting good or bad attention. Let’s say you’re told that a certain colleague or stakeholder is known for being abrasive. In a setting where your goal is to show how capable you are, why would you ever want to downplay your brilliance? Yet people commit fraud to do just that. No offense but as we all know females are a little more sensitive and understanding. Explore All Jobs All Jobs. sales Jobs sales. You can just do your job and go home. play dumb To pretend that one has no or little knowledge (of something); to act ignorant or uninformed (about something). To pretend to be mute.. 1904, Rex Ellingwood Beach, "The Mule Driver and the Garrulous Mute," in Pardners, I played dumb 'cause I knew if I talked at all, being simple and guileless, you all would twist me up and have the whole thing in a jiffy. Then I went to the smart kids in the class and they explained what everything I had written meant. You don’t have to stay late to finish the work and you don’t have the burden of picking up the slack when a co-worker calls out of work because of their hangover. Another possible outcome: Once your boss walks you through the details, maybe you’ll understand the why and no longer see the need to make improvements. Be Smart Enough To Act Dumb . If you’re looking to push back against the status quo, build inroads with an angry client or co-worker, diplomatically disagree with someone, or stay out of office politics, playing dumb (OK, confused) is the way to go. I remember Vanessa talking about Johnny Mac saying he can't be that stupid because he's a doctor (referring to his dentistry degree). Feigning naiveté is also a great way to approach difficult personalities. There is no pressure to do better or do more. Explore our free career advice that includes tips on discovering your passion, and find jobs at inspiring companies that are now hiring. “playing dumb”) and/or feigning innocence. This approach is good for other common workplace annoyances. Some people think the office is the place to be all power, all brilliance, all the time. People generally like the idiot unless they cause them problems. “I have been trying to figure it out for weeks. Nobody gives you extra work because they think you are doing the best you can do. “You’re not stupid.”. In order to do it well, you need a good poker face. Now, who do think is more likely to build inroads with George? Find more similar words at wordhippo.com! Read on to learn how it works. With, “I must have missed that,” you manage to remove yourself without taking sides. If you act in your own best interest instead of being selfless or acting for the benefit of the group, others would just expect you didn’t know any better. You will have job security because nobody fires the idiot. Synonyms (Other Words) for Play dumb & Antonyms (Opposite Meaning) for Play dumb. It’s good practice. Remind yourself that most "dumb" people aren't all bad, and they do have some positive qualities, too. You could go into your first meeting with this person planning to be especially patronizing (or confrontational), or you could pretend that you had never heard he was difficult. 4 Times Playing Dumb at Work Can Actually Advance Your Career. Of course, she’ll be more likely to walk through her thinking if you choose the non-confrontational, “I’m not sure I get it…” over the arrogant: “I’m not sure I understand how this would work, given these five things I’ve already considered as well as their possible repercussions.”. “You have been trying to figure out if I’m stupid or not?” I said, acting mildly confused at his assertions. This is a great thing to remember if you want to stay sane around dumb people, especially if you're dealing with a person you will have to see a lot, like a classmate or a co-worker. I hadn’t heard that.” Then you enter the meeting truly acting like you’ve never heard that before. Your unfamiliarity is an in to discuss other ways you’ve seen similar tasks accomplished, as well as parts of the process that seem counterintuitive. Dear Lifehacker, I have a coworker who, for lack of a better word, is really stupid. 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