There are lots of good measures of experience and leadership Here’s one.
One good measure of experience is when you don’t stress ahead of time about the trajectory of a project. You know that the project will get done in time, even if it’s not done yet. (I’m thinking about the Rockford Aces Concert next Friday, but it could be a term paper, a research project, a composition, a recording project, or anything else.) Having lived through multiple similar projects, the experienced person recognizes waypoints on the journey and doesn’t needlessly stress if things are following past patterns.
One good measure of leadership is when you can convey this experience to the people you lead, even if they haven’t had the same experience as you. My students haven’t produced nearly 20 Aces Concerts, so they won’t have the same perspective as me. My job as a leader is to help them trust my experience and proceed gently but effectively towards the concert. I do this through words, through rehearsal strategies, and through the energy I present to them.