I am a self-confessed news junkie. On one level, I am simply interested in the happenings of the world: the good, the bad, and most recently, the very ugly.
On another level, I am a voyeur of sorts, watching, listening and observing the drama of these happenings, and the manner in which they are talked out and played out on that vast media stage constructed by the media. Such theatre often disturbs me as much as the events themselves.
I am writing this as the horrible details of the terrorist attacks in Paris unfold. What I observe is a glut of facts and factoids, parsing of details, analysis by pundits. Then there is the overlay of more information, parsing, and deeper “punditizing.” Peppered through these reports are experts who speculate and then speculate about their speculations. It is exhausting.
What is missing, in my opinion, is the voice of wisdom. Wisdom, I believe, is assembling facts, organizing them meaningfully and offering sound judgment. The real treasure buried in verbal presence is wisdom. Authentic leaders—and the best reporters—dig for the wisdom. Think of facts like a box of Legos. Individual Lego blocks only take on meaning when they are assembled into something that we recognize and provides us with meaning.
Facts and meaning
Wisdom provides insight that enables us to navigate through that vast sea of data to filter out factoids from facts, and helps us understand on a broader, deeper level what change in the world or our work environment means.
So often in the work arena, leaders jump to a conclusion about a critical issue based on facts alone without bringing wisdom to the conversation. Like a reporter with a deadline, time constraints push business leaders to make hasty decisions without the creative reflection that leads to wise choices.
Sound judgment
Assembling facts into a meaningful whole and reflecting on them with sound judgment results in wisdom. Wisdom is valuable because it points the way to effective action.
I would be remiss if I didn’t extend kudos to those in the media like Fareed Zakaria who do just this. Reporters, like business leaders, usually do good work even when pressed by deadlines and the proverbial “putting out fires.” However, if we take a moment to honestly observe our own process and that of others, we can find our own place of wisdom. Acquiring wisdom requires a conscious effort to pursue it.
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