The Importance of Wisdom
A few years ago when I hired my website designer for my website and branding, part of the process was a values exercise, and one of my values is wisdom. What’s the importance of wisdom? It’s not necessarily a skill you set out to develop. It develops almost involuntarily as you learn from a variety of experiences. I think of wisdom as more of a knowledgeable awareness when making choices.
I love that values exercise, and I’ve done it many times over the years. It reminds me of one of my first jobs working at a wonderful company that lived their mission and values every day. It was an ad agency on the west coast. The owner/president traveled often, but when he was in town, he would hold what we affectionately called “Tree Meetings”.
He would jump up into a waist high tree planter that was in the company’s converted warehouse office. We would gather around and listen as he shared information about new business, ongoing projects, etc., but he always brought it back to the company’s mission and values. We all understood the mission and values of the company, and that the company president lived by them. It was an exciting environment to work in and be a part of. As a result, we were committed to our jobs and worked hard because we believed in that mission and shared those values, too.
As a business owner I loved the opportunity to identify my values and ensure that they are represented on my website, in all of my marketing content, and in how I interact with my clients. I blogged about one of my other values - humor - a few months ago and how I utilize it in my business and all the relationships in my life. Humor is a common word, and people understand what it is.
Wisdom, on the other hand, is one of those tough words to define. The dictionary defines it as: the ability to make good judgments based on what you have learned from your experience, or the knowledge and understanding that gives you this ability.
So why is wisdom important to me? There were over 100 values on the page, so how did wisdom make it into my top 6? When I first chose it as a value, I thought it meant things you learn from experience, learning from mistakes, going out of your comfort zone.
Now that I have some of it, I see it as something that helps you make the most of your other strengths and values. It can get you to the next level. It’s great to be smart, but you need wisdom to use the potential of that intelligence.
So where did I get my wisdom from?
My early career
At my first full-time job at a race management company I worked with big picture visionaries that were inspiring and motivating. But they had no organization or structure to get things done. That was the purpose of my job.
And then my first “big” job at prestigious advertising agency. I’m proud of all that I learned there about strategy, execution, project management, and working on a team. I also learned that if I didn’t perform as expected in a competitive atmosphere, someone else was willing and ready to take my place.
Experience
I have worked in many worlds - corporate, non-profit, and now entrepreneurial, across different functional areas and industries. I have a well-rounded perspective of what setting and achieving goals looks like in all of these areas.
Figuring things out independently
The sooner you learn to be a problem solver the more valuable you’ll be. Besides my job experience, I was a Gen X’er and the oldest child in my family, and I went to a college 2000 miles away. Both situations forced me to do things by myself or they wouldn’t get done.
Learned from mistakes
Mine and everybody else’s I worked with and for. Using a skill again and again, improving as you go, builds wisdom.
Out of my comfort zone
Although it can be scary, it’s the only way forward. Using my skills and talents regularly helped me to see this from hands on experience, or developed wisdom.
It’s rewarding for me to share my wisdom with clients to help them create structure for how they run their businesses. Ready for some wisdom? Schedule a call with me and we can see how I can help.
P.S. Ready to stop spinning in place and get to the other side of your goals? Here are several ways I can help:
Download my free weekly planning guide - it will help you become more intentional with your time, develop a clear action plan for your week, and ensure that you are focusing on activities that will move your business forward - Download Now
Join our next CEO Power Planning Session and spend two and a half hours ON your business. During this facilitated workshop, you’ll set and prioritize your next 12-week goals, break them down into an executable action plan and create a resource plan - Join the Wait List
Apply for the next Close the Gap Program and stay on track to achieve your most important goals. 1:1 support and guidance on prioritizing goals, creating a plan and putting structure and routines in place. Then 12 weeks of group support around execution - Apply today