Are You Getting Smarter with Age? 7 Ways Life Experience Is a Superpower

Eighth grade was not too bad... except for 8th-grade Spanish. I was an average student, but Spanish class was killing me! I wasn’t getting “it,” and I wasn’t motivated to get “it.” I was on the fast track to failing. If it hadn’t been for Mrs. Hines, the teacher who let me make bongo drums out of coffee cans for extra credit, I would have flunked! (Thanks, Mrs. Hines😊.)

But then in college, I took Greek! It was four semesters with an awesome linguist who enjoyed torturing us, but I loved the challenge of it. And by the final semester, when there were only three of us left in the class, I received the Greek Award – without any extra credit! I changed. My motivation grew since 8th grade, and I worked harder as a result.

While our IQ may not change dramatically as we age, we often become smarter in other ways because life experience is a powerful teacher and motivator. Regardless of whether you are in your 20s, 40s, or 60s+, age can become a superpower if we allow it. Here are 7 ways we should be getting smarter as we get older.

1. Focusing personal energy like a laser more than a floodlight.

Like a bank account, every leader possesses a different amount of energy, but no one has an unlimited amount. We know from both science and experience that energy reserves decrease with age, often beginning in the 30s and 40s, which is much younger than first thought. However, focus is important regardless of age. In his book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, author Greg McKeown notes that being a focused leader is all about asking, “Am I investing in the right activities?” As leaders get older, they should also be getting smarter by focusing their energy on the most important projects and priorities, just like a laser.

2. Depending more on wisdom and less on “sweat.”

When I spend three hours fixing my lawnmower, yet the expert repair person does the same thing in 15 minutes, it means he was depending on the wisdom he had acquired over the years, while I was using “sweat” (another word for more effort and labor). While hard work and effort are essential for leadership, wisdom can often accomplish more and do it more easily and quickly. Such wisdom develops with age because, as stated earlier, our experiences are powerful teachers. I have heard many leaders discuss how their past mistakes have taught them valuable lessons. Their experiences both helped them avoid repeating the same mistakes and allowed others to learn from them and avoid making those mistakes themselves.

3. Spending more time on gratitude and contentment and less time envying.

Mindset determines outcomes. None of us is content all the time – never! But discontentment is like a chronic disease (think arthritis). It is always simmering just below the surface, making life painful and sometimes even miserable. In contrast, research continues to show that the benefits of gratitude include increased happiness, reduced anxiety, and better relationships. The phrase “give thanks” is used over 150 times in the Bible. There is a good reason for that, considering the benefits of gratitude. One of the ways some leaders get smarter as they get older is by regularly reminding themselves of the ways they have been blessed and what they have accomplished, and spending less time focusing on what they do not have and envying others.

4. Following values and strengths more than money and title.

We can sometimes be a bit slow when it comes to learning. This is especially true regarding the importance we place on incomes and titles. Multiple surveys have shown that once people earn $95,000, there is a minimal increase in happiness as their salary increases. The same can be said for titles. If you want greater satisfaction in life, you will need to look beyond money and titles. You will need values that guide you and to work where your strengths align with your heart and passion.

5. Spending more time listening and less time proving themselves.

In the article “The Executive’s Guide to Better Listening” published by McKinsey, author Bernard Ferrari said, “Many executives take listening skills for granted and focus instead on learning how to articulate and present their own views more effectively.”  This can be due to either thinking we know more or not wanting to invest the time in hearing the perspective of others. And it seldom produces good outcomes. As leaders get older, they can learn that listening matters. Listening shows respect and humility, and it results in better communication and decisions.

6. Increasing openness to feedback and being less defensive in responses.

Defensiveness has been a common part of being human since the creation of humans. Mistakes may have been made, but… not by ME! The more we feel that we have to prove ourselves, the less open we may be to feedback or critique. The more defensive we are, the less open we will be to learn. But as we get older and more experienced, we should have a greater appreciation for the value of feedback and the damage of defensiveness.

7. Increasing courage and decreasing fear of failure.

A final area that improves with age is courage. A survey on emotional courage showed that as people aged, their courage increased as well. Younger leaders can have an unhealthy fear of failure, which causes them to not take appropriate risks or stand up for what they believe is important. And as you age as a leader, hopefully, you will also experience less fear of failure and a growing sense of courage in the way you think and lead.

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Jay Desko is the President & CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.