EIGHT YEARS OLDER. BUT DOES EXPERIENCE ALWAYS MAKE US WISER?

Does experience automatically make us better leaders? Or does it depend on what we're prepared to learn along the way?

It's an interesting question, particularly for successful agency founders who've spent years building businesses, overcoming challenges and developing their own ways of doing things.

Most are incredibly capable people. Many will continue to succeed without ever seeking outside advice.

But being successful doesn't mean there isn't more to learn.

These two photographs were taken roughly six to eight years apart.

Different clothes. Different surroundings. A few more wrinkles. And hair that now seems determined to grow everywhere except where I'd like it!

Not much visible change. But personal growth isn't always something you can see.

It's reflected in how we think, make decisions, lead people and respond to challenges.

Earlier in my career, I learnt an enormous amount simply by watching experienced industry leaders handle difficult questions, read a room or know when to push back.

Nobody was formally teaching me. I was learning from people who'd experienced things I hadn't.

And that principle is just as relevant to established founders today.

Sometimes the most valuable perspective comes from someone who's approached the same challenge completely differently.

It might challenge an assumption, help avoid a mistake or simply raise a question nobody else has asked.

But there's one essential ingredient.

Being willing to listen.

External perspectives aren't just valuable when things are going wrong. They can be equally valuable when everything's going well.

Because experience alone doesn't make us wiser. It's what we learn from it, and who we're prepared to learn from, that makes the difference.

If you could take a before-and-after photograph of the person you are on the inside, how different would you look today compared with eight years ago?