The largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world is Mensa, which is the Latin word for “table”. The name represents the round-table nature of the organization—a coming together of equals to “foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity”. There are about 134,000 members of Mensa from 100 countries, who have an IQ of 132 or higher (out of 160 possible)—the top 2% of minds worldwide.
Are all Mensa members smart? Yes. IQ is a measure of innate intelligence. Neither age nor experience matter. In fact, a two-year-old joined Mensa after being tested with an IQ of 139. Are all members of Mensa wise? Perhaps surprisingly, no. To be intelligent, smart, knowledgeable—these are all distinct from wisdom. You cannot be born with wisdom, or taught wisdom in a classroom. It requires a facet of life that only time can bring.
Wisdom is the character trait of good judgment. In order to have wisdom, you must possess both knowledge and experience. To be wise is to be sound in actions and decisions by applying both what you know, and what you have observed over time. Not every smart, learned person is wise. To a certain extent, wisdom is gained with age. You could be wise without being particularly intelligent. It doesn’t take a high IQ to possess wisdom. At the same time, not all older adults are wise. Experience itself does not get you there—it is more than the combination of intelligence and time.
In the Old Testament, King Solomon asked God for wisdom. This is interesting in that Solomon was a young leader at the time, and because he asked for something more valuable than riches, power or other trappings of leadership, God gave him his desire. Solomon received a shortcut from God to the experience of years required for wisdom. In 1 Kings 3:12 God says to Solomon, “I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.” Solomon is widely regarded as the wisest person who has ever lived. We can partake of Solomon’s wisdom when we read the Proverbs, which are filled with simple yet profound teachings on everyday life.
Though Solomon was wise, and shared his wisdom to others, he made many unwise choices in his life. He had more than 700 wives. He married people from foreign lands and adopted the gods of other nations. He became power-hungry and continued to amass great wealth, far beyond what he needed. We read in 1 Kings 11:9 that “The Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord…” Solomon’s experience, then, did not add to his wisdom, but rather, over time, made him less wise. How, then, does a leader gain the specific and enlightening experience that results in wisdom?
Wise leaders learn from everyone. A wise leader has an open ear and observant attitude. The view each relationship and interaction as an opportunity to learn. This might be expressed as a leader who is always asking questions, and has a genuine interest in the well-being of those around him. This makes a wise leader a person who is unselfish and compassionate. Because a wise leader listens more than he talks, he is interested in collaborating instead of dictating. You cannot be wise if you think you know everything.
Wise leaders learn from every happenstance. A wise leader has a reflective mindset. The leader who wants to gain wisdom doesn’t react to activity, instead taking a thoughtful approach in determining his actions. There is a certain amount patience involved. Instead the wise leader keeps an open mind and seeks a helpful perspective. Instead of relying on assumptions, he takes the time to form an opinion. You cannot be wise without being observant.
Wise leaders learn from mistakes. Perhaps the greatest experiences a leader can gain are in mistakes that he makes. Most often we want to quickly forget mistakes and put them behind us. But to gain wisdom, a leader must lean in to failure, and find knowledge in what went wrong. They don’t want to move forward without some understanding of why they weren’t successful. This requires a healthy lack of ego, and a desire to improve. Wise leaders have a thick skin and are not easily offended. They are introspective and have a good sense of who they are, including their own strengths and weaknesses. You cannot be wise if you have fragile personality that needs constant reinforcement.
Science fiction writer and futurist Isaac Asimov lamented, “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.”[1] We live in an age where any knowledge that we need is instantly accessible on our smart phones, and anything that happens of significance in the world we know about in moments instead of days or weeks. Yet with all of this knowledge at our fingertips, as a culture, we lack wisdom. We don’t take time to observe, relate, reflect and understand. As a faith-centered leader, let your attitude in life and work be to gain wisdom as you go. Remember the words of Albert Einstein: “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
[1] https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/wisdom
Prayer is a tremendous spiritual discipline for leaders. It is a fundamental practice for abiding and growing as a Christian. As a leader, think about how you might pray for those in your sphere of influence.