Absorbing others' Intellect, etc.

There are a lot of skills required to rise above the rest let alone survive in this competitive environment. We will always find ourselves competing with people who are better than us in some way or the other. We may also find ourselves better than our peers.
But regardless of any situation we should always try to be a step ahead of everyone else to succeed. We need not step on other’s shoes and definitely we should never do that. “Don’t be Evil” as Google pointed out but at least beat them by absorbing their powers.
How do we do that then? Simple. Remember the beautiful Rogue from X-Men who absorb the power of others by touch? How she was able to defeat the powerful villain named Magneto?
That is the skill we are trying to teach here. The skill of getting people’s intellect, experiences, techniques, styles, resources, etc.

By being a keen observer we could observe the people we interact on a daily basis and ask ourselves a lot of questions like — What seems to be his strengths and/or weaknesses. How was he able to attain and develop such strengths? Why is he weak? We could also ask for book advice to determine his source of knowledge. What are his favorite hang-outs? Could they be my hang-out too?
The more we ask questions the more we are most likely to expose the person in such a way that will reveal the good things we may emulate and the bad things me should avoid from him. We get to know the source of intellectual wealth. If the guys are strong on certain areas then definitely we might want to be in his environment too.
By doing these things on a daily basis we are able to speed our learning process as these people’s knowledge and experiences throughout the years are being transmitted to us in warp speed enabling us to get better and better everyday. We may not read an entire book but by reading the people around us; we may seem to read all the books he has read and has put in his system.
There are so many things we could learn from everyone around us no matter how intelligent or dull they are. It is through this opportunity that we may improve ourselves effortlessly. We are not only able to improve but we get to absorb their strengths and avoid their weaknesses that put us a step ahead of them and eventually the rest of the group.
This skill of absorbing others is a lifetime weapon to determine our success and failure.
The Art of War