By Evans Tu (President & CEO, SYNNEX Group)

We generally regard individuals with a lot of experience as people who are very capable at what they do.

Some individuals try to “enrichen” themselves by going through a myriad of different experiences. They do so in an attempt to build impressive portfolios which they are often boastful about.

In reality, we know that having a lot of experience does not imply that one is also experienced at what they do.

Experience only indicates that you've undergone a certain event or occurrence. If you do not fully immerse yourself in an experience and reflect upon the learnings gained through careful observation and proactive participation, you would not benefit from it at all. You would simply have wasted your time, with your capabilities remaining the same.

Experience takes dedication and time before you can truly learn and gain from it. It is impossible for an individual to become experienced in a certain matter without devoting time in it. Some superficial individuals are hungry for success, they constantly switch between companies, industries and functions, hoping to build impressive portfolios. Despite all this, their capabilities often remain the same and they fail to improve at all. Such individuals have fallen into the trap of equating experience with capability.

It is important that we constantly remind ourselves to make the most out of each experience so that our time is not wasted. Some individuals take advantage of every experience and immerse themselves deeply in it. As a result, they are often able to gain a lot more learnings from it and become more capable than others.

Managers should pay close attention to whether their subordinates possess solid experience so that the right talents can be identified. They should avoid being fooled by the facade of experiences that are often put up by individuals.