From Smart to Wise: Acting and Leading with Wisdom

How Wise Leaders Act

While mulling their next moves, wise leaders are neither ex­cessively cautious nor risky. They use their noble purpose as a touchstone to assess which risks are appropriate and think systemically. They pay attention to the larger context before taking action. They enjoy their work but don’t lose themselves in their job; in other words, they never lose perspective while working. Wise leaders are not workaholics: they take time off from work to relax and enjoy their life with their families more often than leaders in the blue or red zones. Once a project is completed, they don’t keep on thinking about it. Rather, they move on, knowing that they have done the best job they could. They measure their effectiveness based on their ...