In Fathered by God, author John Eldredge describes six stages of a man’s journey:
- Beloved Son – Learning you are loved and delighted in.
- Cowboy – Testing yourself through work, adventure, and risk.
- Warrior – Fighting for what matters most.
- Lover – Awakening to beauty, intimacy, and emotional depth.
- King – Building your empire, making investments, protecting your people.
- Sage – Passing on hard-earned wisdom to the next generation.
For many leaders, the bulk of our careers are spent in the “King” stage—making the big calls, carrying the weight of responsibility, and guarding the “kingdom” we’ve built. But at some point, the opportunity—and challenge—comes to step into the “Sage” role.
This shift can feel like a loss—less action, fewer spotlights—but it can also be the most rewarding chapter of leadership. And as it turns out, there’s science that explains why this change is not just natural, but necessary.
The Two Kinds of Intelligence
Harvard professor Arthur C. Brooks describes two forms of intelligence that guide how we think and lead:
- Fluid Intelligence – Our ability to innovate, solve problems, and create from scratch. This peaks earlier in life, often before 40. It’s the energy of building, hustling, and producing ideas at high speed.
- Crystallized Intelligence – Our ability to draw on accumulated knowledge, spot patterns, and offer deep insight. This grows stronger with age, often peaking in our 40s and beyond.
For decades, many of us thrive on fluid intelligence—being the quick problem-solver, the creative spark, the person with the answers. But eventually, sustaining that same level of output gets harder.
If we try to keep playing the fluid intelligence game while our minds are shifting toward crystallized intelligence, we can end up frustrated, burned out, and questioning our value.
When King Meets Sage
The “King to Sage” transition is essentially the leadership version of this shift in intelligence.
- King – Still leading from the front, making key plays, and often leaning heavily on your own abilities and energy.
- Sage – Guiding from wisdom, empowering others to lead, and shaping culture and vision in ways that outlast your direct involvement.
The danger is staying in King mode too long—clinging to the way you used to operate instead of leaning into your new strengths. When you resist the shift, you risk becoming a bottleneck rather than a multiplier.
What This Looks Like in Practice
I learned this firsthand with a younger leader on our team. He’s quick, full of fresh ideas, and incredibly capable. Early on, I caught myself feeling the urge to keep up with his pace—wanting to match him in speed, creativity, and innovation.
But once I understood Brooks’ framework, I realized my role wasn’t to out-innovate him. My role was to refine his ideas, spot the patterns he might miss, and set the strategic outcomes that would turn his creativity into results.
When I stopped competing and started collaborating, we both became more effective.
Two Tools for the Sage Leader
- Definition of Done – As a leader, your job isn’t to dictate how something gets done—it’s to clearly define what success looks like. Your crystallized intelligence is perfect for this because you’ve seen enough to know what works and what doesn’t.
- The Buy-In Equation – Execution = Idea Quality × Team Buy-In. A good idea without buy-in falls flat. A decent idea with high buy-in often exceeds expectations. Your role now is to frame ideas in a way that gets people invested, then let them run with it.
The Ego Factor
Let’s be honest—part of what makes this transition hard is ego.
When you’ve built your career on being the idea person, the problem-solver, or the star performer, stepping back can feel like losing relevance. And if you’ve relied on external affirmation—applause after a big presentation, public recognition, “you’re the man” moments—shifting to a role where others get the spotlight can leave a void.
But here’s the truth: your value isn’t fading—it’s evolving. In the Sage role, you stop measuring success by what you achieve and start measuring it by the leaders you develop.
Thriving in the Second Half
Thriving in this stage of life is about alignment—doing what your mind and body are best designed to do now. That doesn’t mean you stop taking risks or having fun. It means you channel your energy where it has the most leverage.
- Trade doing for guiding.
- Trade output for impact.
- Trade affirmation for legacy.
When you embrace this natural evolution from fluid to crystallized intelligence, you stop fighting reality—and start thriving in it.
Closing Thought
Pairing the “King to Sage” concept with Brooks’ research turns an abstract idea into a practical roadmap for leading with purpose as you age.
You stop clinging to how you used to operate and start leaning into the strengths you have now—pattern recognition, wisdom, and the ability to multiply yourself through others.
If your 20s and 30s were about proving yourself, your 40s and beyond can be about multiplying yourself. That’s when the second half becomes the best half.
To listen to Chris and Brandon’s full conversation on this subject, check out episode 179, titled “The Second Half” here:
Brandon Reece and Chris Nordyke
Brandon is a seasoned leader in the restoration industry with a focus on operations and organizational development. As Co-Owner of Floodlight Consulting Group, Brandon works one-on-one with owners, managers and key personnel of restoration companies across the US. To reach him, visit Floodlightgrp.com or email [email protected]. Listen to the Head Heart and Boots Podcast on Apple iTunes and Spotify.
Chris Nordyke is the co-Founder and President of Floodlight Consulting Group, and Floodlight Sales Partners. Chris speaks throughout the year at industry events, and conducts live workshops focused on commercial sales and ops, customer experience strategy and building enterprise value. He is also the co-Host of the Head Heart & Boots podcast, a popular restoration industry show. For more information on Floodlight’s fractional sales management solution, visit https://www.floodlightgrp.com/
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