I believe it was author, Sylvia Boorstein who said, "You don't become wise on the run." It brings to mind a time some years back when I used to fly to an island in the Puget Sound and visit a dear friend of mine who lived in a geodesic dome. He was the wisest man I've ever known. We would sit for hours and talk, tell stories, ask questions, and ponder multiple answers and ideas. This was wisdom in the making. There was nothing hurried about it, no deadlines for producing it. Wisdom was simply plentiful.

How do we create a climate in our organizations that nourishes the production and application of wisdom? First we have to affirm the benefits of wisdom. Wisdom is knowing how to make the best use of experience, understanding, and good judgment. Imagine what this means for a moment. As a leader, you make the best use of your experience with new ways of reaching customers, for example. Your wisdom allows you to recognize specifically what made a difference to your customers, and you share this with others as a way of motivating them to better serve and 'wow' customers regularly. Your wisdom serves you repeatedly when you spend time developing it. The tragedy is when we get so busy in the day-to-day tasks that we don't take the time to grow wiser.

Attaining wisdom, as Boorstein suggests, takes time. This is time in which you are reflecting, thinking, maybe writing—all for the intended purpose of getting wiser. It means paying attention to the moment. It means asking yourself what ideas you are having, how you feel about them, and what your wisest course of action is. It is time you set aside weekly to take stock of all your insights and common sense.

One of my clients told me the other day that her biggest challenge was finding the time to actualize the department's vision. She said, "I get so lost in the details, I can't do much of anything else... and as the director I'm supposed to provide the focus of a solid purpose." The very thing she never gets around to doing is precisely what will render her the greatest benefit. When she takes the time to think—and access her deepest knowing—she gets herself and her team creating and producing from their wisest selves. The vision gets articulated and the team integrates this vision with clarity. With the team energized, the details are accomplished with efficiency.

Take the time to contemplate. It ultimately saves time because the wisdom it produces keeps us on track, allows us to see the wider perspective, and generates ideas that help us be our best.