Grey hair and wisdom should go together like bread and butter. With experience comes wisdom, or so it would seem. Yet the media continually reminds us this is not always so. Newscasts regularly show respected businesspeople from major companies being escorted from the board room to the court room. Brilliant business leaders who were once admired superheroes of their profession plummet to shameful ignobility when their shady practices are exposed.
There is an odd paradox about businesspeople who rapidly ascend the corporate ladder. In their early years they work hard, learn fast and pursue various degrees and training to equip themselves to meet future challenges and opportunities. The learning curve for people entering the marketplace is steep. However, once they experience some success, people can neglect the very thing that got them where they are: their eagerness to learn.
Proverbs says: Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days. There are many plans in a mans heart, nevertheless the Lords counselthat will stand (Prov. 19:20-21).
Why do business people often ignore this sage counsel? For those who reach management positions, its easy to assume you know more than anyone below you on the organizational chart. You dont normally seek advice from subordinates; you dispense it. Also, time becomes so precious that continuing to attend seminars and to study seems impractical. A final cause is success. Max Dupree warns: Success can close a mind faster than prejudice. Your accomplishments may convince you that you should be teaching rather than learning. You can mistakenly assume that your knowledge in one area makes you an expert in other fields. Henry Ford was brilliant at producing affordable, quality automobiles but when he chartered a ship and sailed to Europe with a group of peace enthusiasts to try and stop World War One, he soon realized that genius in one field did not automatically make him a master of others.
Gods advice is to surround yourself with wise counselors. Leaders will generally be only as good as the quality of their counselors. Diversify your advisors. It is said that Richard Nixon surrounded himself with people just like himself, so they were unable to tell him anything he didnt already know. Conversely, Abraham Lincoln intentionally included diverse people in his cabinet to ensure he would hear the full range of perspectives on issues. Recognize that though you may be extremely knowledgeable in your particular area of business, your colleagues could teach you much about successfully parenting your teenagers, having a meaningful quiet time, enriching your marriage, or finding Gods will.
The latter days of your career call for some of your most important decisions. Presently you may be far from retirement, but by intentionally surrounding yourself with the best advisors and friends now, you will one day reap the rewards of wisdom in the defining days of your career.
There is an odd paradox about businesspeople who rapidly ascend the corporate ladder. In their early years they work hard, learn fast and pursue various degrees and training to equip themselves to meet future challenges and opportunities. The learning curve for people entering the marketplace is steep. However, once they experience some success, people can neglect the very thing that got them where they are: their eagerness to learn.
Proverbs says: Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days. There are many plans in a mans heart, nevertheless the Lords counselthat will stand (Prov. 19:20-21).
Why do business people often ignore this sage counsel? For those who reach management positions, its easy to assume you know more than anyone below you on the organizational chart. You dont normally seek advice from subordinates; you dispense it. Also, time becomes so precious that continuing to attend seminars and to study seems impractical. A final cause is success. Max Dupree warns: Success can close a mind faster than prejudice. Your accomplishments may convince you that you should be teaching rather than learning. You can mistakenly assume that your knowledge in one area makes you an expert in other fields. Henry Ford was brilliant at producing affordable, quality automobiles but when he chartered a ship and sailed to Europe with a group of peace enthusiasts to try and stop World War One, he soon realized that genius in one field did not automatically make him a master of others.
Gods advice is to surround yourself with wise counselors. Leaders will generally be only as good as the quality of their counselors. Diversify your advisors. It is said that Richard Nixon surrounded himself with people just like himself, so they were unable to tell him anything he didnt already know. Conversely, Abraham Lincoln intentionally included diverse people in his cabinet to ensure he would hear the full range of perspectives on issues. Recognize that though you may be extremely knowledgeable in your particular area of business, your colleagues could teach you much about successfully parenting your teenagers, having a meaningful quiet time, enriching your marriage, or finding Gods will.
The latter days of your career call for some of your most important decisions. Presently you may be far from retirement, but by intentionally surrounding yourself with the best advisors and friends now, you will one day reap the rewards of wisdom in the defining days of your career.
