The people in your organization who have the largest capacity to add value are not necessarily those who have the best titles or the most impressive educations. They may also not be the easiest people to manage. Here are three "dos" and "don'ts" for leading the smartest people in the room:

• Do explain things and persuade them but don't tell them what to do — smart people don't take a leader's word at face value; they need to understand why they're being asked to do something.
• Do use your expertise but don't use your hierarchy — smart people aren't impressed with titles.
• Do tell them what to do but don't tell them how to do it — smart people enjoy figuring out how to do things and will almost always rise to the challenge.
  
  Curtesy - Harvard Business Publishing