I recently played the role of Dean of Symposia for our International Consortium for Coaching in Organization's Symposium in Chicago. The theme was "Growing (Strengthening) Leaders in an Increasingly Virtual Work Environment. What remained in my mind was something I heard a few years ago at another conference which was, “Learning is more than gathering information”. Add to that, how we're now working across borders, and taking into account the dynamics of global organizations, time zones, leadership dispersed in the field and the varying cultures at play, how we gather and share information and, in my mind, integrate it into what we do and  operate is key.

In a world where we look at the difference between knowledge and wisdom and were asked “How many people have you met who have an immense amount of knowledge, are like walking encyclopedias but aren’t very wise? And how many people are very simple and don’t have a wealth of knowledge or information but are very, very wise?” reminds me of the reality check  questions I ask which are: "Why am I reading this?" and "I am doing this (spending my time, energy, attention) for the sake of what exactly?"

In an era where a vast amount of knowledge is immediately available, the world is increasingly becoming an even playing field when it comes to sharing information. Social media creates a platform where everyone can weigh in no matter what their title or position. Everyone now has a voice and an opinion. How we experience and share what we learn brings wisdom.

I quoted Brian Solis' words of wisdom in my book where he says "The socialization of content creation, consumption, and participation is hastening the metamorphosis that transforms everyday people into participants of a powerful and valuable media-literate society.

In social media, influence has taken center stage. With the spotlight perfectly fixed on the ‘me’ in social media, a large shadow is now cast over the ‘we’ that defines the social web. As individuals begin to realize the possibilities and benefits that surface as a result of building connected social graphs, a very public exploration to find the balance between influence and popularity unfolds. http://tinyurl.com/3qf7prk

What do you think?