From Smart to Wise: Acting and Leading with Wisdom

Smart people impress us with their intellectual prowess and uncanny ability to achieve their goals. But smartness is not always enough to succeed as a leader. In From Smart to Wise, Prasad Kaipa, CEO coach and advisor, and Navi Radjou, strategy consultant, propose a new approach to leadership that extends beyond achieving smartness. Wise leadership requires cultivating a broader perspective, responding to external events with discernment instead of reacting instinctively, and operating out of a noble purpose to create value for shareholders as well as society. Organizations led by smart leaders risk sharing the same fate as cars run with a lead foot on the gas pedal: a crash. On the other hand, companies helmed by wise leaders are able to effectively navigate complexity-just as wise drivers navigate their cars through complex traffic by using their brakes as frequently as their gas pedal. Drawing on inspiring real-life stories of historical and contemporary wise leaders such as Ratan Tata (Chairman, Tata Group), Bill Gates (Chairman, Microsoft), Mahatma Gandhi, John Mackey (CEO Whole Foods), Alan Mulally (CEO, Ford), Narayana Murthy (Chairman, Infosys), and Indra Nooyi (CEO, PepsiCo), the authors identify six capabilities that wise leaders share: Perspective: They have a holistic perspective that integrates diverse-and even polarizing-worldviews. Action Orientation: They act authentically and appropriately for the larger benefit. Role Clarity: They choose to lead either from the front or from behind, allowing others to shine without undue attachment to power and control. Decision Logic: They apply discernment to make decisions that are ethical and yet pragmatic. Fortitude: They know when to let go and when to hold on to power and control. Motivation: They operate out of enlightened self-interest. Based on research and executive interviews that began during Kaipa's tenure at Apple in the 1980s and continued during the authors' 20+ years of consulting and research, FROM SMART TO WISE offers readers a practical framework that allows them to consciously operate as a wise leader every day.