No one denies that experience is valuable…

…but what role does it play in future success?

At the risk of being labeled a political pundit (this is the third blog in a row based on the current presidential election), I’m struck by the enormity of the debate over who has relevant experience.

Personally, I think experience is overrated.  Certainly it has value, but experience doesn’t necessarily prepare us to deal with the future.  I could bore you with countless tales of experiences I’ve had in which I learned valuable lessons only to repeat the same mistake. 

There is no pride in that admission, simply recognition of the fact that I’m human and, as is the fate of all human beings, I occasionally need to learn a lesson more than once for it to stick. 

If not experience, what then should we be looking for in our presidential and vice-presidential candidates?  The ability to think! 

It never ceases to amaze me how some people can be successful in any arena in which they choose to operate.  General Electric is a fine example of what I mean.  To rise to the top echelons in General Electric, leaders must demonstrate the ability to be successful – to continuously improve results – in diverse businesses, in varying market conditions with very different technologies at work.

GE’s leaders succeed because they’ve trained their minds to see similarities in diverse situations, not because they’ve had “relevant” experience.  Indeed, people who have spent the majority of their careers in one field, often lack the ability to see anything but normal industry practices, while those who move beyond their specialty are able to craft new and exciting approaches to whatever challenges they face.

How does all of this relate to you?  Whether you’re choosing a person to lead this great country or filling a position in your organization, look first to the person’s demonstrated ability think, then at their experience.  You’ll make better choices.

It’s counter-intuitive, but critical thinking will trump experience every time.

If you’re getting tired of political commentary and would like me to address a different topic, send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.

Tags: counter-intuitive thinking, Leadership, Productivity

This entry was posted on Monday, September 8th, 2008 at 6:39 am and is filed under Leadership, Productivity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.