It sure helps you get a lot done, but it isn't as important
as you might think. Having common sense in my view is far more important
than having intelligence. You don't have to be brilliant for that.
A bright intellect is a dime a dozen, but theory, especially in business and in
politics, only gets you so far. It is the application of basic principles
to a wide array of situations that makes you truly effective. Anyone can have
an idea, a theory which explains social reality; try testing it out in the real
world. Intellectuals at times are far too inflexible for their own good,
as they tend to get too easily caught up in conceptual normative frameworks
rather than widely applicable knowledge.
