From Smart to Wise: Acting and Leading with Wisdom

How Wise Leaders Demonstrate Role Clarity

Wise leaders perform whatever role they take on without emotional attachment—assuming that role with what one might call detached engagement. They have no qualms giving up their existing role when circumstances require it. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the CEO of Biocon, a leading Indian biotech firm, is a good example. She has dedicated her life to finding a cure for diabetes. She invested many years and millions of R&D dollars in developing an oral insulin solution that might have been a breakthrough in the field of diabetes care. But when some of the clinical trials failed to validate the effectiveness of the oral insulin solution, Shaw was willing to reevaluate the whole R&D project without any emotional drama, ...