[maxsanic]

The problem probably lies with Talent who needs to surround himself with less competent people in order to shore up his own lack of self-esteem. Remember that in the land of the blind, the 1-eyed man is king.

Er no. People who think like that are generally quite limited in capabilities. This sort of mentality might work in a small or low level setting, but it would automatically impose a ceiling on one's achievements as well.

If you are surrounded by people like that, perhaps you need to take stock and try to find some other avenues to expand your professional / private network. It's not very healthy to hang around, very soon you either get very jaded / dejected / helpless and/or join the crowd since you can't beat them. You will end up getting stuck at the bottom rung of the ladder eventually.