Justin Warren

In a changing world, expertise quickly becomes obsolete without humility and curiosity. Expertise is what you know. Humility is knowing what you don’t know. Curiosity is how much you want to learn. Expertise yields insight today. Humility and curiosity fuel growth tomorrow.

We pay too much attention to the most confident voices—and too little attention to the most thoughtful ones. Certainty is not a sign of credibility. Speaking assertively is not a substitute for thinking deeply. It's better to learn from complex thinkers than smooth talkers.

It's better to be the wisest person in the room than the smartest. People prove their intelligence by showing what they know. They reveal their wisdom by integrating what everyone knows. Intelligence can be used to advance personal agendas. Wisdom guides groups to shared goals.

There’s a fine line between persistence and obstinance. Persistence is refusing to give up on a difficult goal. Obstinance is refusing to consider a different path. Grit is not about banging your head against a brick wall. It's about looking for a way around the wall.

Precedent is a poor reason for decisions. It calcifies the status quo without a compelling rationale. It doesn’t matter how long a tradition has stood. If the old way is wrong, it should be challenged and changed. Progress lies in improving the future, not defending the past.

If you don't have all the facts yet, you shouldn't have a strong opinion yet. Motivated reasoning is believing what you want to be true. Critical thinking depends on wanting to believe whatever ends up being true. A key to learning is refusing to let your hopes bias your views.

One of our greatest mistakes is imposing our suffering on the next generation. The fact that you endured unreasonable demands and unclear expectations doesn't mean others should. The responsibility of leaders is not to repeat the errors of the past. It's to improve the future.