Be knowledgeable and apply wisdom

Wisdom and knowledge are linked together, yet they are very different. Wisdom is enhanced by knowledge, whereas knowledge is not directly impacted by wisdom.?Effective leaders are knowledgeable and then apply that knowledge wisely.?Knowledge is generally obtained from external sources such as on-the-job training, reading, education and other forms of instruction.?The most effective way to obtain knowledge is by listening and following up with questions. Listening to the people on your team, to subject matter experts, and to people with different perspectives will all substantially increase your knowledge.?Wisdom conversely comes introspectively by applying knowledge, insights and experiences to form one’s judgement.?Wisdom and knowledge are both important components of a leader.

Knowledge

Knowledge is critical to a leader’s effectiveness as it is necessary to gain a grasp of the issues and make quality decisions.? It is also fundamental in the ability to obtain and apply wisdom.?Awareness about the competition and what is happening in the industry are examples of essential knowledge.?

Internally, leaders need to know the company’s goals, objectives, processes and philosophies in order to communicate effectively.?Obviously, they must also be knowledgeable regarding the areas that they lead and be able to speak the vocabulary.?This does not mean leaders must have expertise in the area they lead, but it does mean they have enough knowledge to understand the challenges and articulate the opportunities.?Being able to hear what the team is saying and understand the related information are essential pieces of knowledge that are instrumental for a leader.

Wisdom

Wisdom cannot be acquired and applied without knowledge.?Wisdom has an evasive definition as it encompasses so many things.? It understands both the immediate consequences as well as the future implications of decisions, actions, and words.?It applies the facts and addresses the emotions surrounding them.? Wise decisions demonstrate good judgement; withstanding scrutiny and the test of time.?

As described by professors Ikujiro Nonaka?and Hirotaka Takeuchi, “before making judgment calls, wise leaders quickly sense what lies behind a situation, project a vision of the future or the consequences, and decide on the action needed to realize that vision.” In other words, they are able to draw not only from their knowledge but also their experiences and ability to leverage all they have learned in determining the proper course of action.??

Wisdom is not something that can be learned in the classroom, but here are some thoughts to help obtain it:

• Experience:?Experience may be the greatest teacher of all. Stay in a position long enough to understand what you do not know, yet take on other challenges when they become available.?Both a breadth and a depth of experiences are necessary to acquire wisdom.?
• Reflect on successes and failures:?Take the time to reflect.?Consider not only what went well and what did not go so well – but more importantly understand why the result happened.?When things went well, a former consultant I worked with would always ask “were you lucky or was it good planning?”?Mistakes, failures and thinking about what can be done better are all excellent teachers.?
• Observe the world around you:?Identify trends and uniqueness of other people, businesses and industries.?Read, listen, watch, and have in-depth discussions and debates about these occurrences.?Seeing things from outside the daily routine can help develop an understanding of the future.? The richness and breadth of new information will enrich your own philosophical thought process.
• Look for the gray areas: Resist the temptation to put things in binary categories – such as right and wrong or evaluating others as good or bad.? Rather, attempt to understand why decisions were made or outcomes occurred.?Try to understand the rationale or logic that led to someone having a certain position, behaving in a certain manner or taking actions that you do not agree with or would have not taken.?Confirmation bias and not listening to opposing viewpoints are two of the biggest hinderances to gaining wisdom.
• Focus on listening:?Meet with people focusing on hearing what they have to say and taking it all in.?Learn from those rich with experiences; learn from those who have unique perspectives and are passionate about what they believe; learn from people full of idealism; learn from those with different backgrounds.?Listening to people with various traits will help you visualize beyond your own experiences.?Many of those discussions are the most fascinating and enlightening.

Wise people have the ability to stay calm and put things into the proper perspective.?They provide guidance based on insight and not emotion.?They are able to put things into a broader context looking into the future rather than narrowness of only what is placed in front of them.?Converting knowledge into wisdom makes us better leaders.?

1Nonaka , Ikujiro, and Hirotaka Takeuchi. “The Big Idea: The Wise Leader.” Harvard Business Review, 8 June 2016, hbr.org/2011/05/the-big-idea-the-wise-leader.

"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." —?Confucius

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Leadership matters!

Ken