10 Things I Learned After I Knew It All

I work in an industry where it has been traditionally considered your sweet spot is between the ages of 45 and 55.  There are exceptions to the rule but in my 18 years or experience, this has proven to be the case.  During this 10 year window, you have the credibility which comes from experience and having some wins under your belt.  But you have also made some mistakes and have battle scars to prove it.

It is during these years you potentially develop the wonderful combination experience, relatability, and relevancy.

Earlier this year, I turned 55.  So I am leaving this window.  I was 36 years old when I joined the company.  It is amazing how quickly time has passed.

Sadly, I must now be self-aware enough to know that Father Time is right behind me, chasing me down with each decision I make, and constantly reminding me I run the risk of quickly becoming irrelevant.

Few people understand how incredibly hard I work on staying up-to-date and relevant.  The following are just some of the things I do:

• Read books every day
• Write every day
• Listen to the market’s response to my ideas and insights and respond accordingly
• Hang around younger leaders
• Work on my health so my mind stays as active as possible
• Ask lots of questions.  Something I learned just this week from this The Daily Coach article is the importance of not asking what someone decided, but rather how he or she decided.
• Learn something new every day

It is this last one I want to discuss more in-depth.  From ages of 45 to 55 you should become an expert in your craft.  You should have put your 10,000 hours in.  You have likely accomplished a great deal but also experienced a number of defeats.  As a result, you should also know what NOT to do.  You may have seen it all, done it all, learned it all, and even lived to tell about it.

But at age 55, I can tell you with great authority that it is what you learned after you know it all counts.

The following are 10 Things I Learned After I Knew It All:

1. I learned to focus on God and family first.  This sounds like a cliche’ but applying this lesson has been a life-long process.  When you stack up all your accomplishments, you come to the realization that the only the thing that really matters is what God and your family think of you.
2. I learned that choosing to invest in the next generation is your greatest return.  Thank you to John Maxwell for this lesson.  The ones you invest in will be those who keep your ideas, systems, and legacies alive after you are gone.  If you do not invest your wisdom, knowledge, insight, and experiences into someone else, what’s in you dies when you are gone.  For more on this click 40 Quotes From John Maxwell’s The Leader’s Greatest Return Digital Training Taping.
3. I learned to become a better listener.  Honestly, I am still working on this.  My enthusiasm for an idea or rush to judgement proved disrespectful and capped my level of influence for many years.  It is remarkable how much good will and influence you gain when you simply just listen to someone’s full answer.
4. I learned to stay humble or I will be humbled.  Proverbs 16:18 famously tells us, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”  The earlier you learn this the better.  Stay humble.  Stay grateful.  Be thankful.  If not, life does the work of instilling humility.
5. I learned the importance of embracing technology.  I am still working on this one as well.  We all had to learn Zoom in 2020 but I want to master it.  I’m also looking at using Prezi rather than PowerPoint.  Just trying to change and stay relevant.
6. I learned to ask about my blind spots.  Jeff Henderson often asks his staff, “What’s it like being on the other side of me?”  I recently asked my team a version of this same question.  This takes courage.  You better be ready for the responses and humble enough to listen and change if necessary.
7. I learned to always be reading books.  Stay curious.  Always be asking questions.  Additional wisdom and knowledge are available for literally pennies on the dollar.  To help get you started, click The Top 10 Books Leaders Need To Read In Spring 2021.
8. I learned to do what my daughter wants to do.  When it comes to spending time together, it’s all about her.  As your children leave home and develop their own lives, you really miss them.  I have found if I want to spend time with my daughter, it will be on her schedule and agenda.  And I’m O.K. with that.  I’m even learning to enjoy over-priced trendy coffee shops!
9. I have learned the importance of continually producing results.  Do your job with excellence!  The best way for anyone to stay relevant and respected is to continually produce results.  You can never argue with the bottom line.  Your personal health is a major contributor to this.  Also, it is important to stop telling war stories and successes from 20 years ago.  First, no one cares.  Second, it gives the impression your best days are behind you and makes you look pitiful and foolish.  It is what you are doing today and where you are going tomorrow that counts.
10. I learned the importance of simply being nice.  If not, you will be labeled as “the grumpy old man who is out of touch, clinging to the past, and unable to change.”  Also, most major decisions are made about you when you’re not in the room.  Therefore, you want people saying nice things about you when you are not there.  Once again , be nice!  Flowers grow from the rain, not the thunder.
11. ***BONUS*** – I learned how much more there was to learn after I knew it all.  

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