Walking With The Wise Or The Companion Of A Fool

Walking in Wisdom

The most successful leaders I know share a commitment to learning. The pursuit of growth is a constant trait among the highest performers I work with. When it comes to growing in wisdom the method for growth is not as conventional as other skills that we can apply in businesses. Wise leaders have certain skills that transcend the everyday requirements of a job, including their approach to decision-making. Wisdom helps us to optimize every area of our lives. However, wisdom is something that is caught rather than taught. This scripture in Proverbs gives one way to grow in wisdom:

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.

Proverbs 13:2 NIVTweet

Finding Wisdom

The principle is simple…If you want to become wise, spend time with wise people. This is the theory that our university system was built on, the transfer of wisdom from experts in various fields of study. 

Last year, Justin Sun, the founder of the cryptocurrency company Tron, paid almost $4.6 million to have lunch with Warren Buffet, the result of a winning auction bid. Buffet offers this opportunity each year in the same auction and for over 20 years people have consistently paid large sums of money to spend a small amount of time with him to ask advice and share in his wisdom.

Are there people that you know that you can intentionally pursue to grow in wisdom? Perhaps you could offer to buy them lunch in exchange for asking 3 prepared questions?

The bible also instructs us that if we lack wisdom we should ask for it.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

James 1:5 NIVTweet

The greatest person we can walk with to grow in wisdom is Jesus.  The phrase “walk with” is a metaphor for the way that we live life. When we commit to spending time with Jesus we will grow in wisdom.  It has been prayer and God’s word that has brought me clarity in my business decisions, shaped my leadership, and given me foresight when planning. This is such an important part of my life that I plan to spend the first part of every day with the Lord.