Guiding Principles

Applied Wisdom

One of my first college professors opened his class with the question, "what is wisdom?"

The answer turned out to be more than mere knowledge. The answer was knowledge guided by compassion.

Because knowledge used alone can be dry, useless, or even evil. Wisdom it turns out, is not indifferent. Wisdom is knowing what information nurtures, what destroys, and choosing to use knowledge for the highest good.

I continue to use this definition of wisdom as a guiding principle. But I like to call it Applied Wisdom. Because when I meet someone, I don't just seek to think well of him. I seek to apply my wisdom to the situation or person in front of me. When I'm with any client or investor, my performance frame begins with this guiding principle:

how can I apply my knowledge to your situation in a way that empowers you to leverage your situation for the highest good?

One day while working with some animals on our ranch, my father saw that I was afraid of a barking dog and immediately instructed me to "never be afraid while I was out there working."

First, he explained that if I ran away in fear, it would trigger the instinct of the dog to give chase and maul (or possibly trigger the cattle to stampede).

But controlling my actions wasn't enough. He explained further, that if I just stood still in fear, the animals could smell fear, and they would remain unsettled and hostile.

In that moment, my 5 year old self had to figure out quickly how to move freely and confidently around agitated livestock and dogs to do my job of feeding them.

After all, if they could smell my fear, it wasn't enough to hide it. I had to extinguish the feeling of fear all together.

And what could extinguish my fears? Faith. I chose to trust in absolute faith that I could accomplish the job if my father had given me the task.

So after that, I walked with unwavering resolve when feeding the animals. And my father was right, it settled the animals once I walked in authority and focus to perform my task.

And this became the way of approaching all my work. Dangers are real and ever-present. So too are the set backs they can cause. But I continue to walk with unwavering resolve to accomplish whatever task that has been entrusted to me.

One of my first law professors told the class on the first day, "you better develop a meaningful goal in life bigger than money, because money is not a sustaining goal--it's a mere tool to reach real goals."

Ever since, I've asked myself, if money is a mere tool, what meaningful goal should I be applying it toward?

Like most, its been a progression from investing in myself, and then my family, and then my community.

But as I've aged, that question has changed a bit. I don't have endless time or resources, Yet the needs of the world continue to grow.

So, there's a bigger question I ask myself now--how can I leverage this tool called money for the most lasting impact? How can I multiply the impact of my actions. How can I touch the most lives? Can I touch lives even after I'm dead and gone?

It's taking the long view of planting a tree today when I personally may never enjoy its benefits.

Whether I'm assisting a client-family, managing a fund, or directing charity, I have the same question. What strategy will allow our actions to have the most impactful legacy.

And one answer to this question has been realizing how much more leverage can be applied by working cooperatively with others who share your vision. Together with my family, my clients and partners, and other community philanthropists, I'm framing strategy to extend our collective reach and influence, deploying wisdom and wealth for maximal positive impact.

Unwavering Resolve

Maximized Legacy