Experience alone is not wisdom.
Effort alone is not excellence.
Both require something more intentional .
We often assume that time served equals insight, and that hard work guarantees quality. In reality, neither is true on its own. Experience can simply accumulate. Effort can simply exhaust.
What transforms both is the discipline of stepping back and asking better questions.
WISDOM IS NOT ABOUT AGE
Someone recently described me as “wise.” My first reaction was discomfort. It felt like a label that implied age rather than growth.
But the more I considered it, the more I came to a simple conclusion:
Wisdom = Experience + Reflection.
Thirty plus years of work brings experience. Successes, mistakes, board dynamics, scaling challenges, difficult decisions.
But without reflection, those experiences remain isolated events. It is only by pausing to examine them that patterns emerge and judgement sharpens.
Recently, I have been far more intentional about building reflection time into my week. Not because I have less to do, but because I am shaping new work and learning quickly and supporting others. The pause has made me clearer, not slower.
But still not sure I would call myself ‘wise’!
EFFORT IS NOT EXCELLENCE, BUT IT DESERVES ATTENTION
I was listening to a conversation between Adam Grant and Brené Brown on a point many leaders quietly wrestle with.
Do not reward effort as if it were excellence.
I have always believed in performance systems that separate the what and the how. Results matter. Values aligned behaviours matter. But working long hours and trying hard are not the same as delivering impact.
Effort without outcomes is not success.
That can be an uncomfortable message, especially in mission driven organisations where hard work is almost moralised. Busyness becomes confused with contribution. When we lower the bar to acknowledge effort as performance, standards erode and culture follows.
What struck me in their discussion was a more nuanced angle.
Effort should be rewarded with time.
If someone is genuinely stretching and putting in the work but not yet converting it into mastery, the response is not automatic praise. It is intentional support.
Coaching.
Clear definitions of what good looks like.
Real time feedback.
Skill building.
Honest conversations about role fit.
Effort is data. It tells you there is energy to work with.
The leadership question is whether you invest enough of your own time to help turn that energy into performance.
Looking back, I can think of moments where we calibrated ratings rigorously but could have been more deliberate about converting effort into excellence.
Both of these reflections land in the same place.
Wisdom requires reflection.
Excellence requires reflection.
When I was leading full time as a CEO, especially in the early days - structured reflection often felt indulgent. There was always something urgent. Something louder. Something more visible.
Reflection is not a luxury for quieter seasons. It is a discipline for demanding ones. It is how you raise standards without burning people out. It is how you convert effort into capability and experience into judgement.
Building in reflection is a small shift. But over time, it compounds.
The real question is not whether you are experienced or whether your team is working hard.
It is whether you are creating the conditions for learning to take place.
Interestingly, this is exactly what several of my clients say about our mentoring sessions. That the real value is not just advice, but the protected space to think. The discipline of reflection. The pause that sharpens judgement.
I am glad that something I once struggled to prioritise is now helping others lead with greater clarity.
Warmly,
Liz
Strategic Advisor | Former CEO | Founder, Volante
Based in Kenya, available globally
A quick reminder about the upcoming Volante Women's CEO Masterclass.
The session brings together experienced CEOs to speak candidly about what they genuinely wish they had known earlier in the role. Pressure from boards. Leadership identity. Mistakes. The recalibration required to sustain leadership over time.
There will be no slides and no scripts. Just an honest, disciplined conversation grounded in lived experience.
Places are limited and the room is starting to fill.
If you are considering joining, this is a good moment to secure a place. Scholarships remain. Open to men and women!
Get more details and register here: https://luma.com/9tvo95o8
