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We've all heard that wisdom comes with age.
If only it were that simple.
Getting older happens without an effort from you beyond staying alive. Becoming wiser requires considerably more effort. Experience provides opportunities to learn. It doesn't guarantee that learning occurs.
Consider two people who encounter similar problems repeatedly. One examines what happened, considers alternative approaches, seeks advice, and adjusts future behavior. The other blames circumstances, criticizes everyone involved, and repeats the same behavior.
Both are accumulating experience. Only one is accumulating wisdom.
I have encountered professionals who possess remarkable judgment despite relatively limited years of experience. I've also encountered individuals with decades in their profession who seem determined never to learn anything new.
Seniority and wisdom are not synonyms.
Nor should we confuse confidence with competence. Sometimes the person most certain of an answer is the person least interested in examining whether that answer is correct.
A Sustained Leader needs the humility to recognize that yesterday's successful approach may not solve tomorrow's problem. Even Einstein noted that the thinking that created the problem is most likely insufficient to solve the problem. That requires curiosity. It requires listening to people who know things we don't. And occasionally, it requires admitting that something we've believed for years was wrong.
Not everyone finds that comfortable. But refusing to reconsider our assumptions doesn't preserve wisdom. It preserves ignorance. Experience becomes valuable when we examine it, extract useful lessons, and apply those lessons to future decisions.
This is one reason Sustained Leadership development is recursive. We assess, practice, reflect, and reassess. The process continues regardless of age or position.
You will grow older. Congratulate yourself. IN your entire life you have never lived longer than you have today.
Becoming wiser requires a choice.
Quiet Dare: Think of a strongly held belief or professional practice you've maintained for years. When did you last challenge it? Ask someone whose judgment you respect whether they see something you've overlooked.
To your personal leadership journey,
Tom
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