Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom

Two Day Wise Leadership Training Program

Program Overview

This training program transforms Dr. Stebbins’ “Wise Leadership” book into an actionable learning journey focused on developing heart-centered leadership skills. The program balances theoretical understanding with practical application through a series of modules that build upon each other.

Module 1: Foundations of Wisdom in Leadership

Key Concepts:

• The difference between information, knowledge, and wisdom
• Ancient and modern perspectives on wisdom
• The “wisdom economy” and its implications for leadership
• Head, Hunch, and Heart integration

Learning Activities:

• Self-assessment: Identify your current leadership approach on the information-wisdom spectrum
• Journaling exercise: Reflect on times when you led from wisdom vs. from information alone
• Discussion: How is the wisdom economy changing your organization?

Module 2: Heart Perception in Leadership

Key Concepts:

• Objective vs. subjective perception
• Our heart’s influence on leadership perceptions
• Recognizing and working with different perceptual frameworks

Learning Activities:

• Perception exercise: Analyze a challenging leadership scenario from multiple perspectives
• Team activity: Practice identifying when you’re operating from objective vs. subjective perception
• Reflection questions on how your perceptions influence your leadership decisions

Module 3: Cultivating Stillness and Inner Listening

Key Concepts:

• The power of silence in leadership
• Methods for accessing heart wisdom: meditation, contemplation, nature
• Creating small moments of pause in leadership roles

Learning Activities:

• Daily 5-minute mindfulness practice
• “Small moments of pause” implementation plan for your workday
• Guided contemplation exercises to access inner wisdom

Module 4: Emotional Courage and Intelligence

Key Concepts:

• Understanding the messages of emotions
• Tools for developing emotional courage
• The connection between emotional intelligence and wise leadership

Learning Activities:

• Emotion mapping exercise: Identify how different emotions manifest and what they’re telling you
• Somatic awareness practice for leadership situations
• Creating a personalized emotional courage toolkit

Module 5: Self-Empathy, Self-Compassion, and Self-Loving

Key Concepts:

• Differences between self-awareness, self-empathy, and self-compassion
• Practicing self-loving without narcissism
• The impact of self-compassion on leadership effectiveness

Learning Activities:

• Self-compassion break exercise (adapted from Kristin Neff’s work)
• Journaling: Write to yourself as you would to a valued team member
• Creating self-compassion rituals for challenging leadership moments

Module 6: Discovering Purpose and Setting Boundaries

Key Concepts:

• Heart wisdom and purpose alignment
• Creating safe leadership boundaries
• Balancing connection with professionalism

Learning Activities:

• Purpose clarification exercise using heart-centered questions
• Boundary assessment and planning
• Case studies on ethical leadership boundaries

Module 7: Leading with Heart and Vulnerability

Key Concepts:

• The power of gratitude in leadership
• Vulnerability as a leadership strength
• Authentic heart-centered leadership in practice

Learning Activities:

• Leadership gratitude practice development
• Vulnerability courage challenge
• Creating a personal leadership manifesto based on heart wisdom

Implementation Plan

1. Pre-work: Participants read selected chapters and complete a leadership self-assessment
2. Delivery format: 7 weekly modules with:
   • 90-minute facilitated session per module
   • Daily practice assignments (15-20 minutes)
   • Peer coaching sessions between modules
3. Application support:
   • Leadership journal for tracking insights and progress
   • Monthly follow-up sessions for 3 months after program completion
   • Creation of a “wise leadership community of practice”

Assessment and Integration

• Personal growth tracking through reflective journaling
• Practical application projects in participants’ leadership contexts
• Feedback loops with team members to measure impact
• 90-day wise leadership implementation plan