From Smart to Wise: Acting and Leading with Wisdom

The Limits of Smart Leadership Roles

The level of enthusiasm and willingness of leaders to play different roles in different contexts depends on whether they operate from the blue or red zone. Leaders perform their role in very different emotional states and with very different expectations in each zone. Reflect on the zone in which you most often find yourself, and keep this in mind as you read the rest of the chapter so that you get personal clarity on what you could do to lead more from the front or more from behind—and do so without emotional attachment.

Leaders operating in the blue zone are generally challenged in the area of role clarity because they like to lead within their domain of control and leave bigger philosophical or ethical ...