Why Trying to Look Smart Makes You a Worse Leader | Scott Armstrong

Revenue Problem Solvers · Oct 16, 2026 · 53m

At 30, Scott Armstrong had the office, the title and the money. Then his president told him he was acting like an asshole. She was right. It took him more than a decade to act on it.

Scott has run Brainrider, a B2B marketing agency, for over 20 years. His new book, From Asshole to Ally: How Smart Professionals Lose Trust and How to Earn It Back, is out now. Smart people lose clients, referrals and team trust by proving how much they know.

On this episode of the Revenue Problem Solvers Podcast, Karl Ortmann and Scott run a live role play. It’s the same management problem handled twice, once by…