High-Value Fruit
This past Sunday I opened my message by reflecting on two of the wisest men I have ever known.
Both were well into the later seasons of their lives. Both carried a depth of perspective that could only come from decades of walking with God, leading people, making hard decisions, and learning from both success and failure.
When they spoke, people leaned in. Not because they were loud. Not because they were flashy. But because they were wise.
Wisdom. It’s different than knowledge or insight.
Knowledge can be acquired quickly. Insight may arrive in a moment. But wisdom develops…over decades.
Yes, occasionally we encounter someone who seems “wise beyond their years.” We may describe a younger person as an “old soul.” But even then, true wisdom remains something that matures over time.
It is a high-value fruit – one that I believe purpose-driven leaders should pursue with great abandon.
The challenge is simple. But there are no shortcuts. Time remains the ultimate provider.
A farmer cannot snap their fingers and produce ripened fruit.
A seed must find itself in relatively fertile soil. The plant must survive to a fruit-producing age. Only then, if the conditions are right, can fruit grow on the tree or vine.
But gardeners and horticulturists have learned something interesting over the years. While they cannot rush fruit, they can shape the environment in a way that positively affects the process.
They can plant the right seed.
They can cultivate the soil.
They can manage sunlight, water, and nutrients.
They can improve conditions, encouraging growth to happen more efficiently.
The fruit still takes time. But the timeline can be shortened well beyond what might happen in “the wild” – a purely natural environment.
This logic applies to human development as well.
Left to themselves, most people simply allow nature to take its course. They learn “in the wild” through experience only. Life hands them lessons along the way, and they accept whatever fruit eventually develops.
They do not read. They do not pursue intentional growth. They simply move through life collecting whatever learnings happen to present themselves.
Another portion of our society goes a bit further. They want to progress, so they at least make an effort. They take a class. They read a book now and then. They exercise occasionally. They invest just enough energy to move themselves ahead of the crowd.
Life can be pretty good in that place. Better by comparison, anyway.
But leaders who want to maximize their journey approach development quite differently.
High-performance leaders intentionally and continually shape their environment into one that facilitates their accelerated growth and development.
In 2019 Convene released a booklet titled How Leaders Grow that describes what they refer to as “a learning ecosystem.”
It highlights six elements that help cultivate a healthy environment for top-tier leadership development. Think of them as critical nutrients in the proverbial soil.
Individual Learning
Growth begins with personal responsibility. Wise leaders pursue learning on their own. They read, reflect, observe, and study as a matter of habit. They treat learning not as an occasional activity but as a lifelong discipline.
Coaching
A skilled coach helps draw out insights that already exist within a leader but may be hidden behind a blinder. Rather than simply providing answers, they ask thoughtful questions that surface clarity and conviction.
Assessments
Self-awareness is one of the most powerful accelerators of leadership growth. Honest feedback helps leaders see more clearly beyond their bias and perceptions.
Consulting
Sometimes leaders need the experience of someone who has already walked similar terrain. Outside expertise can shorten the learning curve and help avoid unnecessary mistakes.
Peer Groups
Scripture reminds us that “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12 NIV). Leaders cannot help but grow faster when they surround themselves with others who are committed to their own development AND to the success and forward progress of everyone else in the group.
The Holy Spirit
Ultimately, wisdom is not merely accumulated. It is revealed. God’s Spirit guides our thinking, convicts our hearts, and illuminates our path. As Psalm 119:105 reminds us, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
When these elements work together, over time, something powerful happens.
The soil becomes richer.
Learning accelerates.
Understanding deepens.
And wisdom begins to grow.
Which brings us to one of the most remarkable leadership moments in all of Scripture. When Solomon became king, God appeared to him with an extraordinary offer:
“Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
(1 Kings 3:5 NIV)
Imagine the possibilities.
Power.
Victory over enemies.
Long life.
Wealth beyond imagination.
Instead, Solomon asked for something entirely different.
“Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.”
(1 Kings 3:9 NIV)
In other words…
“Give me wisdom.”
God’s response reveals how highly that request was valued.
“Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself… I will give you a wise and discerning heart.”
(1 Kings 3:11–12 NIV)
Of all the things Solomon could have requested, wisdom pleased God the most. That alone should capture our attention.
There are no true shortcuts to wisdom, but there are ways to cultivate the conditions where it can grow more efficiently.
Leaders who intentionally cultivate the right environment – who plant the right seeds, nurture the soil, and remain humble enough to keep learning – will eventually experience this high-value fruit…
…long before others that are growing “in the wild” and simply letting nature take its course.
Not just knowledge. Not just insight. But something far rarer and of much greater value – True Wisdom.
If you would like a copy of the How Leaders Grow publication referenced above, just let me know. I would be glad to send one your way.
Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! And with your wisdom, develop common sense and good judgment. If you exalt wisdom, she will exalt you. Hold her fast, and she will lead you to great honor; she will place a beautiful crown upon your head. My son, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.
(Proverbs 4:7 – 10 TLB)
Blessings to you, my friends!
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This Week’s Resource Recommendation:
"The Road to Character"
- David Brooks
From Amazon: NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE ECONOMIST
With the wisdom, humor, curiosity, and sharp insights that have brought millions of readers to his New York Times column and his previous bestsellers, David Brooks has consistently illuminated our daily lives in surprising and original ways. In The Social Animal, he explored the neuroscience of human connection and how we can flourish together. Now, in The Road to Character, he focuses on the deeper values that should inform our lives.
Looking to some of the world’s greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders, Brooks explores how, through internal struggle and a sense of their own limitations, they have built a strong inner character. Labor activist Frances Perkins understood the need to suppress parts of herself so that she could be an instrument in a larger cause. Dwight Eisenhower organized his life not around impulsive self-expression but considered self-restraint. Dorothy Day, a devout Catholic convert and champion of the poor, learned as a young woman the vocabulary of simplicity and surrender. Civil rights pioneers A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin learned reticence and the logic of self-discipline, the need to distrust oneself even while waging a noble crusade.
Blending psychology, politics, spirituality, and confessional, The Road to Character provides an opportunity for us to rethink our priorities, and strive to build rich inner lives marked by humility and moral depth.
“Joy,” David Brooks writes, “is a byproduct experienced by people who are aiming for something else. But it comes.”
MMS 26-11
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