"When you learn, teach. When you get, give."   Maya Angelou

​

Every December of my childhood, my parents held a holiday open house that stretched from noon until night. People would drive an hour just to be there, and without fail, friends of mine and of my brother would gravitate to the living room where my father sat in his chair. By late afternoon, they'd be clustered at his feet, drawn in by his warmth and genuine interest in what they were doing and thinking about. He loved “young people,” as he would call them.

​

My father listened far more than he talked, taking everything in like a sponge. When he did speak, his words were measured and relevant. He was truly wise.

​

I've been thinking about this image as I watch organizations struggle to connect newer workers seeking mentorship with seasoned leaders who are unsure how to provide it. Wisdom transfers differently from information or knowledge. You can't download it. It has to come from practice, shared moments, proximity.

​

What strikes me now about those holiday open houses is how natural the exchange was. The young people came because they were drawn to both of my parents, the richness of their presence, their way of being. And my father, in particular, understood that his role was to create space for them.

​

As technology takes on more of our technical work, the human capacities that remain irreplaceable are precisely these: the ability to listen deeply, to see through multiple lenses, to transfer wisdom.

​

This month's resources examine how we cultivate these strengths in a world that is accelerating toward boundless efficiency.

​

💜 The Heart

Tools to support your conscious leadership practice.

​

👥 Your ancestors should come to work with you [Maya Angelou at Spelman, 1992 - Video]

​

Around minute 12 of her commencement speech, Angelou tells the graduates to bring their deceased grandparents to job interviews. When you mask yourself in professional settings, she argues, you abandon the foundations that got you there, like inherited resilience, ancestral sacrifice, and lived experience. These make you formidable. Said differently, “Remember who you are and from whence you’ve come.”

​

🗺️ Study your problem until it solves itself [“Escaping Flatland” - Substack]

​

Henrik Karlsson’s wife was not procrastinating, though she spent months studying their overgrown garden before touching a single plant. She was proving that when you map enough constraints, solutions become obvious. Quit wrestling with complicated problems through force. Study what won't work, the situation’s demands, and let the answer emerge from understanding the full context.

​

✂️ Draw harder boundaries, do better work [The Tim Ferriss Show - Podcast]

​

"Eat, Pray, Love" author Elizabeth Gilbert describes how her work sharpened once she began refusing projects, invitations, and relationships that scattered her attention. Her effectiveness came not from doing more, but from drawing lines. Say "no" sooner. Save yourself for work that matters.

​

🧠 The Matter

Leadership trends that caught my attention.

​

🔍 Five wise behaviors that outweigh experience [Forbes - Article]

​

Scientists have identified that seeking understanding, genuine concern for others, emotional resilience, learning from experience, and self-reflection are all markers of wisdom. They appear regardless of age or pedigree. The intern who sees beyond their own perspective may be wiser than the director who doesn't. Always look for these actions if you're seeking wise workers.

​

🤝 What GE learned from introducing reverse mentoring [3CL - Blog]

​

In the 1990s, then-CEO Jack Welch paired senior executives with twenty-somethings to learn about the internet. Three decades later, we're still learning that different generations hold complementary expertise: junior employees have digital fluency, senior executives have institutional knowledge, and both need what the other offers. Design accordingly.

​

🏗️ Building wisdom into your organizational infrastructure [University of Chicago - Study]

​

What makes organizations wise rather than just smart? The answer lies in six interconnected workplace functions: three for knowing (consciousness, conscience, contextualizing) and three for doing (compassion, collaboration, courage). We all champion these principles, but I seldom see them operationalized. This research shows how to.

​

🎯 Final Thoughts

I'm seeing a lot of predictions lately that, as AI makes technical expertise more accessible, human work will become drastically more valuable. Meaning creativity, emotional intelligence, and all other tactile skills will finally be regarded as essential.

​

I understand the take. I've always believed that feeling, human qualities are what make a true leader. But people have carried these gifts all along, rarely favored by our institutions. Perhaps the AI moment will finally force us to value what we've overlooked, or maybe we’re giving a fad too much credence. Time will tell.

​

One thing's certain: whatever comes, through technology, hardship, or vast uncertainty, we need to build our wisdom and practice sharing it.

​

Where’s your open house? Who gathers there with you?

​

Open your doors and make room. Listen to each other, then hug.

​
​

Sending love and light,

​

Ginny