You can’t shortcut what took someone 24 years to learn.
A room can be full of smart, ambitious people with impressive résumés, but one conversation can reveal something a piece of paper never will.
In this scene, Harvey hears “24 years,” asks one question, and the interview is effectively over.
Years of doing the work have built a level of understanding that becomes obvious within seconds.
And that’s something we should remember in business.
As entrepreneurs, we love speed.
Grow faster. Learn faster. Use AI to make everything more efficient.
I do too.
But while you can accelerate your access to information, developing judgment still takes practice, mistakes and real responsibility.
You learn something different when you’ve lost a client, hired the wrong person, negotiated a difficult deal or kept a business alive through a challenging year.
Eventually, you start recognising situations before someone else even sees a problem.
Meanwhile, AI is increasingly being used to screen résumés, and automated hiring filters can disqualify candidates before a human ever speaks to them.
It makes me wonder how much valuable experience we miss simply because someone doesn’t fit the criteria on paper.
For me, this is also one of the reasons LinkedIn matters so much.
Your profile can show where you’ve worked.
But your content and conversations can show how you think.
Sharing your experiences, lessons and perspective helps people see the person behind the résumé.
Talent can open doors and education can build the foundation.
But experience gives you something you can’t download overnight.
Never underestimate someone who has spent decades mastering their craft.
What’s one lesson in your business that only experience could teach you?
