The value of experience?
A lifelong friend of mine is a freight airline captain. There’s an old saying that says life as a pilot is 98% boredom and 2% sheer terror. And in that 2%, the pilot earns his salary.
In a 2% moment, Steve’s 20 years’ flight experience was put on the line with the expectation that he would deliver. And he did.
He landed a four engine race-horse freighter with the wheels up when he only saw two of three green undercarriage lights illuminated in the cockpit. It was experience that taught him to put it on the runway grass with all the wheels up so that he and his valuable cargo could walk away safely.
There are similarities in the creative sector; new generations come along full of enthusiasm, creativity and a fire in the belly, confident they can conquer the world. This energy is so essential –the creative sector burns it relentlessly and ferociously.
But when something goes pear shaped, all that enthusiasm and fire means little. They’re left scratching their heads and wondering what to do next. And this is where industry experience steps in.
Experience offers foresight to see a potential 2% moment looming. If it does arrive, experience has either an answer or an acceptable work around. That’s not to say there are never problems, but those 2% moments experience can recognise and defuse potential alligators before they reach up to bite.
Combine experience with exuberance and we achieve the perfect team balance. Let the enthusiasm lead the way to create excitement while tempering the process with hard won industry knowledge.
This is true in the creative fields and I suspect true in yours too.