We face a number of significant challenges at this moment. We are in the midst of major and multiple transformational system changes. To protect the quality of life on this planet in the future, we need to transform our business models. That means considering the needs of future generations as we make decisions now.
This kind of change is triggering mixed emotions of fear, anger, anxiety, hope, and resistance.
Building wisdom to support healthy transformation
As I was reflecting on this urgent need for transformation, I began to think about cultivating wisdom intentionally. We’ve known since the time of the Stoics (as David Erskine wrote a couple of weeks ago) that wisdom is a powerful partner during major transitions. So, I asked myself a couple of questions:
- What can we do to strengthen the cultivation of wisdom in ourselves, our communities, and our organizations?
- What mindsets and practices help us cultivate wisdom intentionally every day?
Trees offer a powerful powerful for cultivating wisdom. Read Dr. Kathy Allen’s article The Wisdom of Trees.
As I reflected on these questions, some ways came to mind to help incorporate the search for wisdom into our choices and our daily lives:
Four ways to cultivate wisdom intentionally
1. Cultivate an active learning mindset. Being an active learner is a characteristic of resilient systems and, of course, develops wisdom. Wisdom is cultivated in a learning environment instead of a “knowing” environment. When we think we know everything, we no longer seek the present wisdom but might disagree with our worldview. Personally, I want to continue learning and evolving until I die. This mindset keeps me curious and reminds me that there is always something else to learn.
2. Develop and protect more moments of pause. When we are rushing from one meeting to another, we don’t have the time to pause and reflect on the deeper meaning of what is happening. When we pause, we’re invited to notice the unnamed assumptions behind organizational actions or individual choices. We can question whether they still are a good fit today. When things are changing, I try to remember to seek, let go of, and replace any processes and assumptions that no longer match the current reality.
3. Keep our egos in check. Wisdom doesn’t come in nice boxes we have created in our knowledge bases. Instead, wisdom can surprise, delight, cause us to ponder, and invite a more profound journey in our lives. I associate my ego with a need to be right. However, my need to be recognized as a “knowledgeable expert” hinders my learning mindset. I must manage my ego, so it isn’t in charge of my thoughts and actions. This practice is essential to cultivating wisdom.
4. Learn to manage our emotions. Staying conscious of emotions, naming them, and not getting highjacked by them help us stay open to gaining wisdom. By managing our emotions, we can stay open to ideas and experiences that might otherwise be ignored or dismissed. We can also make choices that aren’t based on fear, anxiety, or anger. When I can name and observe my own emotions objectively, I experience delight, if not joy, in the new wisdom emerging in myself and the organizations I work with.
How do you cultivate wisdom?
I am curious to know more about the wisdom practices of others as well as my own. I want to learn more ways for all of us to gather wisdom and find methods to share this collective wisdom. This type of curiosity will provide immense help as we move through our current state of massive transformation.
Please join me on this journey to bring more wisdom into our world. How do you use reflection, mindfulness, asking questions, or other practices to help cultivate wisdom intentionally?
I associate wisdom with experience, and recognize that I, or any other individual person, will have a limited range of experiences. To cultivate wisdom, I look for good sources of information and intentional reflection on that information that is tied to the first-hand experience of these sources. And I am flexible on which sources I seek out when.
Tim Ferriss wrote a book I really enjoy called “Tribe of Mentors” based on the premise that it would be useful to call upon the perspectives of a wide variety of people as we attempt to make choices and navigate through our lives. A ship can navigate by triangulation, and identifying where it is on earth’s surface based on the angles between itself and two or more relatively fixed points. The point is to move in the desired direction. As a human being, navigating through life is much more complex, and I’m in constant need of points of reference to assess where I am, whether I’m going where I want to be going, and even if where I want to be going is worth wanting.
I need points of reference that are clear and steady, and that are relevant to where I am in life right now. My points of reference have changed over time. I enjoy getting this and several other relevant newsletters delivered to me each week, prompting me to learn and explore new perspectives! I also seek to identify books, podcasts, and personal relationships that I can keep in regular rotation, that offer different points of view, that are useful for navigating my work and relationships each day.
Joseph,
Thanks for your thoughts on how you cultivate wisdom. And bringing the book Tribe of Mentors to my attention. I love how you look for good sources of information and pair that with reflection. And I like you navigation metaphor to help visualize what this journey toward wisdom could find helpful.
Do you have any thoughts on how and in what context our evolving wisdom could be shared / disseminated into the world?