The sapient leader

A pandemic, an economic crisis, geopolitical tension, or any other disruptive event throws a wrench at our companies and businesses. Most business conversations today revolve around inflation, rising fuel costs, interest rates, and the West jittery over bank collapses. Discussions revolving around millennials pre-pandemic were way different. I distinctly remember those days.

There was a time when millennials were fascinated by well-known CEOs of the world. They read stories of Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, and these kids religiously attend their CEO worship services. Some wore the all-black ensemble of Steve Jobs, others wore hoodies like Mark Zuckerberg, and many wore business suits and began behaving like “CEOs.” Kids barely fresh out of college carry business cards that indicate their titles as “CEOs.”

I remember asking one and saying: “So, you are the CEO of your own company.”

“Yes, Sir Francis,” was his reply. “It’s a startup,” the kid remarked.

I asked: “So, how many people do you have in your company?” And he proudly said, “One - It’s just me.”

Others take a more creative (often corny and many times nauseous) twist on their CEO title. They describe themselves as “chief encouragement officers,” “chief enablement officers,” etc. I think they just wanted to be a “CEO.”

However, the pandemic changed everything. As the current situation around us reeks of global volatility, as the new normal refers to chronic instability, learning to become a more resilient leader-- an anti-heroic rather than a heroic leader becomes necessary. And this is what author, investor and Stanford University lecturer Ron Gutman wrote in his article for Inc. describes and prescribes. He calls this “Sapient Leadership,” a term used to describe leaders who are genuine, vulnerable and sagacious – and lean on these traits in times of crises.

A sapient leader is characterized by being wise, sagacious and discerning in navigating change while being humane in the face of change that can often feel alien. This kind of leadership emphasizes – counterintuitively – an “anti-heroic leader.” “Sapient leaders are individuals who know how to work through an environment of change that is perpetual, pervasive and exponential,” says Ron Gutman. Instead of clinging to a state of mind that’s all-knowing or one that positions a leader as a superhero who swoops in to save the day, sapient leadership highlights qualities of anti-heroic leadership.

Gutman prescribes the following:

Practice humility

For your employees to feel comfortable and trust you, you must give them a reason to do so. That’s why sapient leaders embody humility, authenticity, and openness, which helps create an environment of psychological safety. “They come forward and share some of their ideas, expertise, and experiences, which can help the leader lead much better,” Gutman says. This allows employees to feel comfortable being human and fallible, so they can honestly speak their minds, even if that sometimes means disagreeing with leadership.

Build trust

The second pillar of sapient leadership builds on the first, fostering trust. A trustworthy organization fuels both individual employees and teams, leading to teams functioning more meaningfully. The idea is that everybody’s human, authentic, and working together on something to create this team dynamic that the leader can leverage in an ever-changing environment.

Research shows that teams that feel psychologically safe outperform.

Never stop learning

Sapient leaders seek to create companies that are learning organizations – so much so that it becomes part of their corporate DNA. That means cultivating an organization that is always curious and constantly striving to understand new subjects. Leaders who are stuck in their ways and resisting changing their views make their organizations rigid, making them poorly equipped to manage an unpredictable environment. “Organizations celebrating continuous learning enable leaders, teams, and the organization to continuously adapt to a world that is changing all the time,” Gutman says.

Sapient leadership attracts better talent and creates tremendous economic value because it leads to better outcomes. At the core of every organization are its shared purpose and values, which, during times of crisis, can bolster resilience when everyone’s on the same page. Leaders that were diligent in building this shared purpose and shared value and getting into the foundation and fundamentals of an organization are the ones that saw more resilience when challenges arise, he explains.

According to research from Gallup, workers with empathetic managers listening to their direct reports’ problems were 62 percent less likely to be burned out. “Sapient leadership is a magnet for incredible people,” he says. Who wouldn’t want to work for a leader who is capable and has an open mind?

(Francis Kong’s “Inspiring Excellence” podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple, Google, or other podcast streaming platforms.)