From Smart to Wise: Acting and Leading with Wisdom

Conclusion

In chapter 2, we explored how leaders can discover their North Star—the noble purpose that provides an ethical compass to guide our actions. Finding your North Star, however, is only the first step in the path toward wise leadership. The next step is to systematically align your actions with that North Star. Otherwise, you may act authentically—being true to yourself by acting too much out of self-interest and in the process demotivating others around you—or try to act appropriately in a context-sensitive manner—pleasing others or filling a perceived role that is either fake or borrowed and in the process sacrificing your own authenticity.

Smart leaders struggle to act both authentically and appropriately at the same time. Leaders ...