It is our belief, based on experience, that you can become an effective and wise leader by developing the six leadership capabilities we have identified and discussed: perspective, action orientation, role clarity, decision logic, fortitude, and motivation. These capabilities are separate but also interdependent elements: if you develop them together, each leveraging the power of the others, you can accelerate your wise leadership journey. When you integrate some or all of these capabilities into a larger whole, you will have created your own wisdom logic—that is, your unique, authentic path to wise leadership.

Many leaders grow into one or two capabilities (usually those that are most appealing to them or that they pick up easily) and then, as inclination and necessity dictate, integrate other capabilities in an ongoing process. The process is one of trial and error, and many of the wise leaders we have studied and consulted with are what we might call work in progress—wise in some ways but not so wise in others.

In chapters 2 through 7, we laid out a sequence for developing and integrating the six capabilities, starting with broadening your perspective and ending with making enlightened self-interest your main source of motivation. We find this sequence has a logical flow and momentum. But the path you choose to take toward wise leadership—whether you start from the blue zone or the red zone—will be unique to you. It has to be based on the context in which you live and work, your noble purpose, and who is part of your field of leadership (more on this concept below). What is important is that you stay on the path, developing and clarifying your own wisdom logic throughout your life and career. It’s not a linear process, and you will need patience and courage, but there is no path more rewarding for you to embark on.

Although many leaders travel on their wise leadership journey alone, you don’t have to. Especially in today’s interconnected and interdependent world, it’s possible to create a field of leadership around yourself by connecting to other leaders and working together to develop wise teams, organizations, communities, and nations. In this way, you turn your individual journey to wise leadership into a shared journey—a collective pursuit involving mentoring, coaching, and shared insight that will be highly rewarding for all of you.¹