I’d like to revisit the recent Wall Street Journal article (“How to Succeed in the Age of Going Solo”). It talks about the importance of independent advisors joining a network of people engaged in the same kind of work.
The prospect of being independent is daunting to many. At first, it sounds exciting. After a career of the “daily grind,” the flexibility of working on one’s own seems very enticing. But newly independent workers soon realize that they miss that “daily grind.” They’ve grown so accustomed to the routine of commutes, coworkers, and corporate schedules that their newfound independence presents more of a feeling of “What now?” than “Yippee!” That’s where a network of professional peers serves such a vital purpose. It allows advisors to be independent, but not alone. Furthermore, it gives them a forum in which they can ask questions and share lessons learned.
Over the years, the CEO Advantage advisor peer group has become almost an organization itself in terms of the camaraderie and shared purpose. Our advisors are independent, but they feel a sense of loyalty and friendship toward one another. There’s no question that their association with one another has made them more effective advisors to their own clients.
Whatever you do for a living, if you’re working independently, join a network.
The Wisdom-Knowledge Ratio
Thursday, November 12th, 2009 by AdvisorCatalystA college graduate is armed with book knowledge and skills, ready to take on the world. For most, it doesn’t take long to realize the limits of that book knowledge. Experience is key in any endeavor, and experience takes time to build. There are no shortcuts.
That’s not to say that book knowledge doesn’t have value. Of course it does. It’s just that book knowledge is pretty much all you bring to the table early in your career. As the years go by, however, your experience contributes a greater and greater portion of your total productive value. Knowledge and skills will always be important, and workers must continually learn, but there will always be more college graduates to hire for book knowledge. As a veteran worker, your value is increasingly found in the wisdom base that you’ve spent years building. You’ve made good decisions and bad decisions, you’ve seen projects succeed and fail, you’ve seen good employees and bad employees… and you’ve developed the instincts to recognize which is which long before they come to fruition.
In other words, your “wisdom-knowledge ratio” increases as you age.
Knowledge is usually interchangeable. Experience usually is not. It’s a unique quality, and thus carries tremendous value. Are you putting your wisdom base to productive use?
Tags: advisor, wisdom base
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