Why Wisdom Matters

Important things rarely demand your attention.?

• Children don’t tell you outright that they want you at their game...?
• Spouses are understanding about those extra hours at the office...?
• Friends don’t complain about not hearing from you...?

...until it’s too late and those relationships pass a point of no return.?

Wisdom, likewise, doesn’t demand your awareness day to day. However, when you need it to face an unforeseen problem, it won’t just come because you called.?Wisdom has to be cultivated regularly in order to be available in the time of need.??

Is it worth the effort??

What are you biggest challenges you are confronting as a nonprofit leader right now? I’ll wager that your answer falls into one of the following;?

1. Competition for Funding?
2. Inflation and Rising Operational Costs?
3. Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent?
4. Motivating and Equipping Volunteers?
5. Refining Your Mission for New Challenges?

Solving your particular problem will take some measure of technique (skill, method, platform, or other "how to” solutions). But deploying the right software or personnel alone will not fully address the situation. Untimely, you will need wisdom.?

Wisdom is applying the why and when to the what.?It is not just doing things but doing the right things at the right time with the right goals – that takes wisdom. Many confuse methods or skills for wisdom. This is understandable, wisdom begins with those, but it is something more.?Wisdom is the ability to make sound decisions about an uncertain future based on prior experience that is not exactly analogous.?Techniques can be learned by reading, studying, and apprenticing. But the transformational insight of wisdom is acquired by?analyzed experience, suffering, and humility.?

These are not typical suggestions for business leaders to consider. These move from the surface to the depths of the human experience and so are generally left without clear guidance. But because wisdom is an essential part of success, some coaching is necessary. To say “Gain wisdom,” but to then not elaborate on how, is negligence.?

Over the next few editions of the?Nonprofit Leader?I will address the three key components of acquiring wisdom for leaders. This is vital because…

You need to:

• Make decisions that balance your needs and goals with your team, clients, and society.
• Foster creativity and innovation from yourself and others to tackle unforeseen problems?.
• Live with emotional intelligence and collaboration in the face of a rapidly changing workplace.

For this you need wisdom, not just knowledge. It is not merely a soft skill, it is what will empower you succeed in today’s competitive and complex world.?

Summary:

Why spend time to acquire wisdom? Because if you don’t you won’t survive in a rapidly changing world.

For more in this series on the value of wisdom for leadership go to The Nonprofit Leader Blog.