When definitions of terms get jumbled, mischief results.

I choose these definitions to provide clarity; to improve our communication in a business setting. They might not meet with the approval of Webster.

A note regarding three words:

Knowledge, Wisdom, and Leadership are attributes or qualities we believe integral to the process of business development. The extent to which they exist will, to a large degree, determine the measure of the success of the organization and the individuals within it. The last improves, as do the first two.

A note regarding Knowledge:

The awareness and retention of things, such as data and information, along with the ability to access and recall them; the ability to see these elements within a broader context, then link and analyze them (this feeds the next concept: Wisdom).

A note regarding Wisdom:

The ability to use Knowledge in a meaningful manner and to exercise sound judgment; attempting to do things rightly and with a good outcome; the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships: insight, good sense, judgment, the proper application of Knowledge.

A useful measure of Wisdom may be “the distance into the future which a thought can be cast”,  and then, of course, the extent to which actions align with the thought.” The farther into the future we are able to accurately see (with our mind’s eye, so to speak), the wiser we may be, and our leadership may improve as a result.

A note regarding Leadership:

The quality within an individual which causes them to have a clear Vision (see next section); select the right team and guide them, by working together, to the realization of this (the leader’s) Vision; and simultaneously help each individual to develop and move toward realizing their own Vision. Though sometimes difficult, leadership can, and should, be enjoyable!

Training (the How)

Training has to do with the specifics relating to How to do things.

For Example:

1. The proper keystrokes and mouse clicks that must be used to print a report.
2. How to check the specific dimensions of screw ground to a precise size, thread pitch, and surface specification.
3. The temperature and time the roast of a certain size and weight must be cooked.

Education (the Why)

Education has to do with Why the Training may be important.

For Example:

1. Provide an understanding of the purpose of the report.

→Who will read it?

→What decisions will be made from the information provided?

→What impact will these decisions have on people? If it is a financial report, people may be laid off and lose their jobs, or more people may be hired.

 2. Provide an understanding of the purpose of the screw.

→ Why are the precise dimensions necessary?

→ Why is such painstaking care required?

→ What part does this little screw play? If it is being used to hold the heat shield in place on an Apollo Lunar Module’s re-entry into earth’s atmosphere which is which is traveling at 36,303 feet per second reaching temperatures over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, it is of life and death importance.

3. The roast could be ruined or delicious.