For leaders, it’s always better to be wise than to be smart. Of course, it takes wisdom to know that. Smart leaders know things. Wise leaders know what to do with that knowledge. We say some people are wise beyond their years. There is no similar expression for smart. At best, we say some people are clever, which is a smart person with imagination.
What a fantastic breakdown of an important distinction. I used to work in higher ed, and I would often see job ads for top administrative roles (president or VPs) that would call for “data-driven decision making.” This was supposed to weed out the ones who just winged it from the ones who were steely-eyed realists, but actually it privileges smarts over wisdom.
There is nothing wrong with data-driven decision making so long as data is just one tool among many.
Good post. Ego plays a part too, right? I often see two types of smart people - The smartest person in the room and they have to prove it, and then there is the smartest person in the room, but they sit back and allow others to engage. Another way I've found to increase wisdom is by reading books and learning from those who have 'been there, done that' before me. Mentors should play a part too, but I've never had much luck in that department.
Smart Versus Wise
The last two paragraphs here nailed the importance of this distinction home quite well!
What a fantastic breakdown of an important distinction. I used to work in higher ed, and I would often see job ads for top administrative roles (president or VPs) that would call for “data-driven decision making.” This was supposed to weed out the ones who just winged it from the ones who were steely-eyed realists, but actually it privileges smarts over wisdom.
There is nothing wrong with data-driven decision making so long as data is just one tool among many.
Good post. Ego plays a part too, right? I often see two types of smart people - The smartest person in the room and they have to prove it, and then there is the smartest person in the room, but they sit back and allow others to engage. Another way I've found to increase wisdom is by reading books and learning from those who have 'been there, done that' before me. Mentors should play a part too, but I've never had much luck in that department.