We’ve all encountered and been impacted by leaders in our lives. Leaders in our workplaces shape the direction of the organizations we work for and impact the daily experiences of our jobs. Leaders in our government can often fill us with hope or despair about the future of our society. Leaders in our educational institutions are impacting the future of our children. And leaders in the church shape our worldview and personal faith journeys. Often, leaders disappoint us, but occasionally, we are fortunate enough to encounter a leader we would call a wise leader. In his book, The Wise Leader, Uli Chi gives us a glimpse of what makes a person a wise leader and draws from his own experiences as a leader to suggest how individuals can work to become wise leaders.
In this book, Chi draws on his own experiences as a leader of non-profit and for-profit organizations to share insights for leaders that are grounded in biblical wisdom literature. Chi begins the book with key insights into what wisdom is, focusing on the fact that biblical wisdom is rooted in humility. This is in stark contrast to a more mainstream view of wisdom that would associate it with pride. Chi then discusses the relationship between power and humility, emphasizing that “wise leadership embodies real power with genuine humility” (p. 46). He presents a healthy view of power and defines several types of power, which include generative power (using power to create power for others), participative power (using power in a communal way), and directive power (using power to keep true to your purpose and direction). The book includes advice on how to foster wisdom in leaders. It ends with a discussion of how practicing wisdom draws on skills we have gained over the course of a lifetime.
In writing this book, Chi was rigorous in supporting his arguments. The most relevant literature to this book’s argument is the Bible, and Chi does a great job of grounding his points in scripture, citing scriptural sources frequently. Chi also shares from his own experiences and from conversations he has had with other leaders (i.e., Rod Wilson, former president of Regent College, and Richard Mouw, former president of Fuller Seminary). He also cites a variety of supporting sources related to his work. For example, when discussing power, he cites Andy Crouch, who has published on this subject matter. His conclusions were easy to follow and seemed logical. I didn’t notice any large jumps in his reasoning.
I personally found this book to be beautiful in several different ways. First, it was written with clarity. The writing flows well and is easy to understand. I appreciated that a lot of the abstract ideas Chi talks about related to power and wisdom are supported with examples from his own experiences or the experiences of his friends. This makes the book easy to relate to.
Second, there were many instances where Chi owned his own failures in applying the concepts he was discussing. His book encourages humility, and he practices humility in his writing. For example, he shares a story about when he first became an executive in a tech company. He was excited about the new role and the work he was doing. At this time, a friend pulled him aside and told him he was starting to act like “a jerk” (p. 102). He had to pause and reflect a bit before seeing that the success and power he was experiencing were causing his ego to grow. I find this kind of honesty in an author to be beautiful because it allows humans to relate to one another, which is always a beautiful thing.
Finally, Chi literally brought beauty into this book by integrating several pieces of art and poetry. For example, he discusses how Jesus used his power for others through self-sacrifice and then references a painting called “The Crucifixion” by Matthias Grunewald (I have included the image below). Referencing this image is a beautiful way to show the reader what using power for others looks like and helps the reader connect to this idea in a more meaningful way. My one criticism is that the actual images referenced were not included in the book. Chi referred the reader to a website to view them. They would have been more powerful if they could have been included in the book.
There are several aspects of this book that I found particularly interesting. Chi has a unique way of viewing power and leadership. He introduced several interesting insights throughout this book. As an example, Chi suggests that leaders who have been formed through suffering be called “lead servants” (p. 118). He takes the familiar term of servant leaders, and flips the words because, he says, doing so places emphasis on a person being a servant rather than emphasizing them being a leader.
As another example, in the last chapter of the book, Chi describes how wisdom is embodied in qualities of all the phases of our lives, even youth and infancy. He talks about how the trustful attitude and vulnerability of children are something wise leaders should value and pursue, and that as we mature, these are hard to hold onto. It is typical to think that wisdom is associated with all the characteristics of an adult, but Chi brings up the interesting fact that this is not always the case.
This book would be useful for professors teaching management or leadership classes but also for all of us. I found the chapter that discusses various types of power and how they should be used wisely, especially relevant, and could see this book being successfully used for teaching undergraduate or graduate students.
It would also be useful for practitioners. Chi admits that this book is part memoir, and he does include several examples throughout the book of how his ideas can play out in practice. He also tells about times when he failed to be a wise leader so that a reader can see pitfalls to avoid. Practitioners will find this book to be full of wise advice with examples of how it can be implemented. Because Chi has experience in both for-profit and non-profit organizations, his insights can be applied in a variety of settings, including churches. I could also see this book being helpful to clergy who want to grow in their role as leaders in their church.
One Response
Jill,
Thank you for this well-written, very-informative review. You make it clear what the author emphasizes and that he practices what he preaches. It sounds like a great book on leadership. Well done!