Wisdom is a defining attribute of the successful leader. Although many giftedphilosophers and leaders — Confucius, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Cicero, St.Thomas Aquinas, and Descartes — have explored the virtue of wisdom in leadership, inits current form, the study of wisdom has been aided by advances in the psychologicalsciences and management theory. R. R. Kilburg introduces the concept of ExecutiveWisdom and explores how consultants and coaches can help leaders become wiser inthe conduct of their offices and how these same concepts can be applied to seniorleadership teams. What is Executive Wisdom, and how can it be developed throughcoaching? Executive Wisdom emerges from a complex matrix of factors that affect anindividual leader's thoughts, behavior, and emotions, including his or her organization,biopsychosocial systems, behavioral interfaces, internalized human wisdom system,external and internal challenges, and environment. It develops through thediscernment, decision making, and executive action that leaders take in their dailylives. Synthesizing a rich array of concepts and processes, such as wisdom mapping,Kilburg deepens the reader's understanding of leadership performance and explains thecauses and consequences of executive failure.