The difference between a “smart” engineer and a “strong” engineer is how they react to problems that aren’t solved instantly. Smart engineers can get into an increasingly-flustered loop of pointing to a series of bad solutions. Smart engineers can think clearly, but they can only think clearly at high speed. Strong engineers can think clearly all the time, even if their highest speed isn’t quite as fast. Engineers who can think clearly in a state of uncertainty tend to be extremely effective, whether they’re capable of great intuitive leaps or not.