More than just familiarity breeds contempt

It occurs to me that the story of McChrystal's undoing contains another lesson, hardly flattering but certainly not limited to McChrystal's case:

The modern professional is defined by the possession of expert knowledge, and expert knowledge inexorably leads to contempt for those who don't possess it, even if -- perhaps especially if -- those unschooled souls are the ones in whose service you're supposed to place your expertise.

There's another example here.