Why Leadership and Wisdom?

I think most of us agree that we would rather have wise leaders than unwise leaders.  But why?  What is wisdom and what does it contribute toward leadership?  Wisdom, like leadership, is actually a difficult concept to define.  We all inherently understand and have witnessed wisdom in action, as most of us have experienced good (and bad) leadership.  But explaining it is another thing altogether.  That is because wisdom is a multidimensional construct (Bassett, 2006).  Wisdom researcher Caroline Bassett explains that there are two things she knows about wisdom.  “One is that it does not consist of only one quality.  The other is that wise people are not perfect” (Bassett, 2005, p. 6).  This makes it difficult to explain.  Robert Sternberg (2001) views wisdom as a “practical intelligence.”  Although it requires explicit knowledge, it draws extensively from tacit knowledge.  Furthermore, it balances self-interest with the interests of others and aspects of context (such as community or environmental factors).  “In wisdom, one seeks the common good, realizing that this common good may be better for some than for others” (p. 231).  Many researchers agree upon this point (Bassett, 2005b; MacDonald, 1993; Cowan & Darsoe, 2008).  This corresponds nicely with integral theory (Wilber, 2003, 2007) and the development of higher levels of consciousness as humans move from ethnocentric to a more worldcentric understanding.

One simple yet profound definition of leadership is “a relational and ethical process of people together attempting to accomplish positive change” (Komives, et. al., 2007, p. 13).  Komives, Lucas and McMahon see a paradigm shift occurring in how we view leadership.  Previously the central idea of leadership was to control follower behavior whereas now it is more about empowering followers to be a central part of achieving sought after outcomes.  Further, they argue that leadership must be practiced in a way that is socially responsible.  “The concept of common good does not mean the majority view but does mean shared purposes and common vision.  This commitment to the public good or common good is a valuing of the role of social responsibility” (p. 19).  This is a key point that both leadership and wisdom share.  Further, they explain that leadership requires the ability to understand self, understand others and understand context – all which correspond with Sternberg’s definition of wisdom and the concept of mindfulness (Langer, 1989; Boyatzis & McKee, 2005; Kabat-Zinn, 2005) which we will explore in a later posting.

References

Bassett, C. L. (2006). Laughing at gilded butterflies: Integrating wisdom, development, and learning. In C. H. Hoare (Ed.), Handbook of adult development and learning (pp. 281-306). Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press.

Bassett, C. (2005). Emergent wisdom: Living a life in widening circles. ReVision, 27(4), 6-11.

Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant leadership : Renewing yourself and connecting with others through mindfulness, hope, and compassion. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Cowan, D., & Darsoe, L. (2008). Wisdom: A backdrop for organizational studies. In D. Barry, & H. Hansen (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of new approaches in management and organization (pp. 332-343). Los Angeles: Sage.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Wherever you go, there you are : Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New York: Hyperion.

Komives, S. R., Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. R. (2007). Exploring leadership : For college students who want to make a difference (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Langer, E. J. (1989). Mindfulness. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co.

Macdonald, C. (1993). Toward wisdom : Finding our way to inner peace, love & happiness. Willowdale, Ont.: Hounslow.

Sternberg, R. J. (2001). Why schools should teach for wisdom: The balance theory of wisdom in educational settings. Educational Psychologist, 36(4), 227-245.

Wilber, K. (2003). Kosmic consciousness. Boulder, CO: Sounds True.

Wilber, K. (2007). The integral vision : A very short introduction to the revolutionary integral approach to life, god, the universe, and everything (1st ed.). Boston: Shambhala.