The Wise Leader

“Uli Chi is the wisest person I have ever met in real life. So it’s fitting that he would deliver this seminal book intended to help generations of leaders cultivate and reflect on wisdom in our lives and leadership. My copy is dog-eared and underlined, and I trust yours will be too.”
—Michaela O’Donnell, executive director of the Max De Pree Center for Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary

“Reading and following The Wise Leader will take you to new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that will transform your organization and invigorate your life of leadership. Spend time with these powerful ideas and you will be equipped to change our world.”
—C. Jeffrey Wright, CEO of Urban Ministries, Inc.

“With the pace of change in today’s world, this book reminds us that there is wisdom all around us that we can draw from as leaders. Weaving together personal reflections, lessons from art and poetry, and wisdom from faith traditions from around the world, The Wise Leader captures all that Uli Chi has taught me as a leader, a mentor, and more. This book is grounded in his faith, humility, deep understanding of the nature and value of wisdom, and ability to nurture leadership qualities in others. Whether you are at the beginning of your leadership journey or a seasoned leader yourself, this is the book you will want to read.”
—Ketul J. Patel, CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health

“The Wise Leader calls us to a deep and rich journey into the source and nurture of wisdom. Uli Chi draws on his own life experience as a follower of Christ, mentee and mentor, student and professor. Those who are leaders, he says, share the vocation of being faithful ambassadors from the Creator to the created order. To help us distinguish between wisdom from God and the wisdom of this world, he guides us through practices that cultivate humility, a healthy vision of power, and the wisdom to see the world as it is and as it could be. I love Uli’s focus on imagination as ‘the incubator of God’s Spirit’ that enables us to envision that better world. I look forward to sharing this book with seasoned and aspiring leaders as they seek to serve God and the people he loves in some small way.”
—Katherine Leary Alsdorf, coauthor (with Tim Keller) of Every Good Endeavor

“Uli Chi’s down-to-earth wisdom will make you a better manager. And you’ll be entertained and uplifted by his wide-ranging insights, into business challenges, art, poetry, and even Star Trek. But ultimately, what Uli offers is a rare and profound gift: a pathway to becoming happier and more fulfilled by connecting your deepest spiritual beliefs to your calling as a leader.”
—Chris Lowney, board chairperson of CommonSpirit Health

“This is a beautifully written and illustrated book, full of wonderful stories gathered from a lifetime of learning to be a wise and effective leader. This book will help you reflect on what it means to embark on the journey of becoming a leader, regardless of where you exercise leadership—because we all have the opportunity to become leaders in various life contexts and we all yearn for meaning and purpose. As a colleague on the board of the Max DePree Center for Leadership, Uli Chi exhibits the same kind of faithful leadership and thoughtful writing that my dad, Max De Pree, did. It is a joy to serve with Uli and to learn from him.”
—Jody De Pree Vanderwel, managing partner of Michigan Capital Network Ventures and board chair of the Max De Press Center for Leadership

“Deeply grounded in the world that is and in the world that someday will be, Uli Chi has twined together the most ancient wisdom with his years of experience in the marketplaces of life, allowing us to read over his shoulder and through his heart, writing a book for the generations. As beautifully written as it is profoundly true, The Wise Leader is for everyone who leads, for everyone who someday will lead.”
—Steven Garber, senior fellow for vocation and the common good at M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and author of The Seamless Life: A Tapestry of Love and Learning,
Worship and Work

“I know of no other book quite like this one. For the past six years, I’ve watched Uli Chi’s thinking evolve as we’ve cotaught a graduate course on ‘wise leadership.’ Uli sees wisdom through multiple prisms, including art, marketplace, Scripture, literature, and personal narrative. The result is remarkable.”
—Alec Hill, president emeritus of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA

 “In a time when we are bombarded by dizzying amounts of information, the wisdom most needed to navigate a complex, fast-changing and often confusing world is increasingly rare. Out of the deep and refreshing well of a well-lived life, Uli Chi offers timeless and priceless wisdom essential for the flourishing of any leadership enterprise. I am deeply grateful that this wisdom is now available in this wonderful book. I highly recommend it.”
—Tom Nelson, president of Made to Flourish and author of Work Matters, The Economics of Neighborly Love, and The Flourishing Pastor

“Uli's book is full of pearls of wisdom. The book is packed with pertinent insights such as ‘how we pay attention matters’ and ‘wisdom's call to persist in adversity is as necessary as it is difficult.’  Uli draws powerfully on his own professional experiences, sharing his failures as poignantly as approaches that worked well. His message that ‘we must make discerning judgments and live with the consequences’ is an example of the practical and farsighted approach that permeates the whole narrative. This is a must read for any aspiring leader who wants to bring a Christian understanding into the challenging and ambiguous world of effective leadership.”
—Peter Shaw, chair of Praesta Partners, UK

“At one point in this remarkable book, Uli Chi writes that ‘wisdom is about formation, not just information.’ For me this short phrase captures the essence of his work. This is a book that does not so much define ‘wisdom’ as allow it to unfold. As we read through the book we observe different fabrics—visual art, biblical teaching, fantasy literature, poetry, business books and articles, and more—knit together with examples from Uli’s own career until a truly multifaceted image of the wise leader emerges. I strongly second Mark Labberton’s encouragement in his foreword: ‘If you are seeking wisdom, don’t rush reading this book. Savor it.’”
—Jeff Van Duzer, author of Why Business Matters to God (And What Still Needs to Be Fixed)

“For years I have secretly hoped Uli Chi would write a book that encapsulates his way of seeing, understanding, and engaging with the world. I am delighted that my hope has come to fruition in this book. Just as he does in person, Uli connects ideas from literature, history, theology, science, and art, along with his own rich experiences in business, to thoughtfully illuminate the path for wise leadership. Filled with practical guidance, this is a book that will seep into your soul and change you.”
—Denise Daniels, Hudson T. Harrison Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship at Wheaton College

“As we look around at our institutions—government, business, education, nonprofits, churches, families, and the arts—we see a disheartening lack of wise leadership. Plus, as we reflect upon the multiple demands of our own lives, we yearn to become wise leaders ourselves. But if wise leadership is so rare today, how can we ever expect to understand and exercise it? Uli Chi answers this question in The Wise Leader. Reflecting on biblical truth and his experience of leading in diverse contexts, Uli guides us on the journey to wisdom. Some of what he writes will be reassuringly familiar. Some will be surprising, even unsettling, as you experience the chasm that exists between cultural norms and godly wisdom. The Wise Leader will invite you to embrace and embody the ‘wisdom from above’ that will enable you to be a wise leader.”
—Mark D. Roberts, senior strategist of the Max De Pree Center for Leadership

“Books on leadership are a dime a dozen, typically with a laundry list of to-dos. The Wise Leader is different! Uli Chi has written a profoundly personal and inspired account of wisdom being essential to leadership. The book draws on science, poetry, ancient wisdom, the Christian tradition of the Hebrew Bible and the Gospels, coupled with the author’s lived experience. The wise leader is born out of this beautiful diversity of wisdom. Wisdom is characterized by the importance of relationship and mutuality, humility, trust, vulnerability, and serving for the sake of others. It is wisdom that is foolishness to many leaders. It has the ring of authenticity because those of us who are privileged to know Uli know that the wisdom of this book is in complete alignment with who he is and how he behaves. This book’s challenge to be a wise leader who builds on the rock of wisdom will help readers navigate the joys, frustrations, pressures, and ambiguities of leadership in new, hopeful, and life-giving ways.”
—Ross Stewart, dean of the School of Business, Government, and Economics at Seattle Pacific University

“This is a wise and gentle book about what it means to be a wise and humble leader. The author draws together his relationships with his grandfather, his business, and board leadership and his deep engagement with poetry, literature, and Scripture to craft practical insight for us all. This book is a treasure worth reading, pondering, and reading again. Highly recommended.”
—Al Erisman, retired director of research and development for computing and mathematics at the Boeing Company and author of The Accidental Executive, The ServiceMaster Story, and Living with Purpose in a Polarizing World

“Wisdom is easier to experience than to define. Working with Uli is an experience in wisdom and humility. Uli has shown us how wisdom is not just a virtue, but a practice expressed in relationship with God, family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors.”
—Clive Lim, founder and managing director of Leap International

“The world has a desperate shortage of wise leaders. This timely book by Uli Chi invites the reader into a beautiful and highly personal reflection on what it means to live a deeply wise, deeply Christian life. Drawing on a lifetime of wide-ranging leadership, The Wise Leader articulates an integrative vision of leadership that is spiritually alert, biblically serious, and practically grounded. This book should be required reading for Christians who strive to serve God in their varied leadership responsibilities in every sector of society.”
—Jeffrey P. Greenman, president of Regent College, Vancouver

“The Wise Leader is a rare gem. It is practically helpful without being simplistic, and wonderfully inspirational without being maudlin. Every page rings true because the author, my friend Uli Chi, lives out the ancient truths of love and service which the book so beautifully articulates and illuminates. In this era with far too many examples of toxic leadership, The Wise Leader provides a very welcome and much needed antidote. I enthusiastically recommend this book to all who desire to serve more wisely and love more deeply.”
—Scott Hardman, chairman of Alexander Hutton, Inc.

“The Wise Leader is a work of art—a tapestry woven from experiences, reflections, and curiosities gathered over many years. While readers seeking a Cliffs Notes summary of The Wise Leader may feel satisfied—as author Uli Chi does provide helpful suggestions—these readers will miss a great opportunity if their journey ends there. The book offers so much more to absorb and savor. It is a unique resource and companion to those on the journey to wise leadership. Uli combines disciplined mathematical clarity with authentic, compassionate understanding of a wide diversity of people and perspectives. He offers deeply personal theological reflection, drawing not only on the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures but also on the arts, contemporary cultural artifacts, and candid narratives of his own limitations and successes on his journey to becoming a wise leader. The most remarkable quality of this work is its resonance with the spirit and character of the author. His insights on trust, curiosity, hospitality, community, relationships, humility, graciousness, and the place of God in all of these are unequivocally aligned with the qualities Uli exhibits in his own leadership roles. Even as I marvel at juxtaposition of terms such as humility and power, language like ‘lead servant,’ and acknowledgment of the mysterious and the mystical, I delight in Uli’s approach to the wisdom of leadership, which seems to mirror well the approach of Jesus (and Francis of Assisi).”
—Ruth E. Goodwin, OSF, director of sponsorship for the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia

“An outstanding book about what it means to be a wise leader, written by someone who demonstrates personal and mutual leadership to his colleagues and friends. His reflections on wisdom are as useful to those of us who are seeking to be wise leaders in the ‘third third’ of our careers as they are to those who are just beginning to understand what leadership means. Uli challenges us to be ‘lead servants’—those who go first, rather than those who are just in charge.  He draws upon his knowledge of Christian scripture while acknowledging the contributions of other religious and philosophical traditions. And he weaves in the wisdom of my favorite writers/thinkers: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Max De Pree, and Malcolm Guite.”
—Scott Griffin, retired CIO of the Boeing Company and chief strategist of ProBonoPublico

“How many people experience the richness of a multicultural family; have expertise in mathematics, complete a PhD in computer science and become a technology entrepreneur; show facility in art, literature, biblical studies, and theology; demonstrate leadership competence in church, marketplace, and academy; and craft a fine book on leadership that not only provides a multi-disciplinary lens on wisdom but puts into print principles and practices that have been embodied masterfully in their own life? One.”
—Rod Wilson, former president of Regent College, Vancouver