A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
THE BATTLE OF KNOWLEDGE VS. WISDOM
I am back from a few days in New York where I was attending a real estate conference. There were some impressive minds both on stage and in the audience all there sharing their thoughts on the past, the present, and the future of the industry that I have called home for the past 25 years.
A quarter of a century is a long time to do anything. It also immediately puts into perspective the time left you have to do anything - within the industry or otherwise.
I am certain there were people on stage that have been in the industry much longer than 25 years, in some cases perhaps close to double that. In that amount of time, even if purely by accident, you will curate knowledge. A quarter of a century has brought with it literally thousands of clients who have bought and sold homes. I’ve developed hundreds of business partnerships and made hundreds of mistakes. I’ve tested many business models and built an equal number of business ventures. There have been plenty of ideas - some quite good, and many more failures. Along the way I have learned through all of those experiences. Literally 25 years of what I hope has been facts, and observation, and learning, and adding to the bank of knowledge.
This week at the conference I heard a lot of people sharing their knowledge. That is what I went for after all. A consistent theme of every day was artificial intelligence, or AI. In fact, hardly a session could go by without someone mentioning AI. Hardly a conversation was had without it moving towards AI. Hardly a sales pitch made without it including AI.
It struck me that knowledge itself has been commoditized. You don’t need someone to tell you what to do, or how to do it, or when to do it. Artificial intelligence has already won the race for knowledge. We have machines that have access to more information and data than we are capable of comprehending. That means knowledge has been commoditized. And anything commoditized becomes less valuable over time. That is a fact. This fact has many humans concerned and worried.
The first night after the conference I needed to get a 15 mile run in to continue training for my next marathon. With it being dark, wet, and only 36 degrees out I opted for the treadmill. I decided to turn my 2 hours on the treadmill into learning time so I turned to one of my favorite podcasts. It was an interview with Chip Conley - who I have followed since 2018 when he wrote the book, Wisdom At Work.
In the interview he said something that struck me - mostly because of where I was, what I had been thinking about, and the frame of mind I was in. While having a conversation about the future value of human beings, he shared:
“wisdom is metabolizing your experience.”
Yes, knowledge is a commodity. We have moved from the knowledge economy into the wisdom economy. We have the opportunity to transition from knowledge workers to wisdom workers. Over the course of 5 years, or 10 years, or 25 years, we all have had countless experiences. And yet it’s the metabolization of those experiences that leads to wisdom.
The metabolizaiton process is what allows us to break down our food into simpler forms that our body can benefit from. The metabilized food becomes nutrients which then build and repair our bodies. The wisest people are able to metabolize their experiences into smaller, easy to understand lessons, that when shared with others bring value and impact to those around them.
Developing the skill to experience something and metabolizes that experience - is the basis of wisdom. Sharing that wisdom is priceless and will continue to be priceless for our partners, for our employees, and for the human race. It is the basis of what mentorship is all about. A good mentor will help you avoid common mistakes. More importantly, a good mentor will save you years of trial and error. In a world where time is your most valuable asset, then a good mentor that will save you time is priceless.
Find those in your life that are mentors to you. They are first willing to go out and experience life, and the world, and business. They then have mastered the art of metabolizing those experiences. Lastly, develop the skill of sharing that wisdom in simple ways that moves your life forward.
Who are your mentors?
Who are you mentoring?
Chris Suarez