The Wise Leader
Doing the Right Things for the Right Reasons
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The Wise Leader
Preface
We can change the world. In fact, that’s what we all do each and every day in ways large and small, intended or not. The authors of this book share a common purpose with you and everyone who is drawn to this book. Put simply, we have a deep and abiding desire to make our world better. We want it to be better for everyone, but especially for our children. The process is already underway because we have unequivocally declared our intention. Now what?
Having an intention is a good place to start, but it is not enough. Our statement of intention declares what we want to do. However, for an intention to grow in power it must also include the why and the how. In other words, why do we want to do what we want to do, and how are we going to go about doing it? The reasons that underlie our intention truly do matter. And, of course, without resulting action we are left only with wishful thinking.
By nature, both of us—Paul and Steve—are incurable optimists. We see possibility and opportunity in the darkest of circumstances. We want to be clear about that because by almost any measure our world is in serious trouble on countless fronts. We want to make our world better because everywhere you look the urgent need for betterment is clearly evident. For us, and for you, making our world better carries both a practical and a moral imperative. As a practical matter, security, safety, health, economic well-being, and the environment affect every one of us residents of Planet Earth. The moral imperative is that, in an interconnected world, each of us has an obligation to do what we can to ensure that the world we leave our children is as good as or better than the one we inherited. If we don’t do our part, then how can we expect others to do theirs? So what’s the key to shaping a better world?
In two words, Wise Leadership! Not just better or more effective leadership, but truly wise leadership. In a nutshell, we need to profoundly expand the number of wise leaders in every facet of life, both in our social institutions and private corporations.
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About the Book
Core values and principles can sustain and inspire you during challenging times, and the more you practice and embody them, the more likely you are to become a wiser leader.
Paul D. Houston, executive director emeritus of the American Association of School Administrators, and Stephen L. Sokolow, a founding partner and executive director of the Center for Empowered Leadership, offer eighteen core leadership values and principles to help you do the right things, in the right way, at the right time, and for the right reasons. The core values you’ll learn include how to
focus on the positive;
empower and uplift others;
operate from a base of compassion; and
recognize the seeds of wisdom.
Wise leaders view all people as having natural gifts, and it’s important to help them grow. What’s more, supporting and valuing people encourages them to do more for you and for the organization.
Enhance organizational productivity, creativity, and capacity by learning and applying eighteen core values of The Wise Leader.
“Never will you find such a constellation of distilled wisdom on leadership for all circumstances.”
—Michael Fullan, professor emeritus, OISE/University of Toronto
About the Author
Paul D. Houston, the executive director emeritus of the American Association of School Administrators, holds a doctorate from Harvard University. He is also the author of Giving Wings to Children’s Dreams and the coauthor of The Spiritual Dimension of Leadership. The president of the Center for Empowered Leadership, he has three grown children and lives with his fiancée, Dr. Sandra Chapman, in Tucson, Arizona.
Stephen L. Sokolow, formerly a superintendent of schools in New Jersey, holds a doctorate from Temple University. He previously coauthored The Spiritual Dimension of Leadership. The executive director of the Center for Empowered Leadership, he and his wife, Laney, have two grown children and live in Allentown, New Jersey.