Reviews – Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom

Unlock the Power of Wise Leadership with Dr. Stebbins’ Transformative Guide

Paperback and Kindle editions are available from Amazon.

*****

In Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom, Dr. Gregory Stebbins has a new perspective for what we risk losing in an age of enormous amounts of daily data and a torrid pace of technological change. Disrupting hierarchical power-based leadership models, Stebbins presents a revolutionary heart-based leadership model based on self-empathy, intuition, and authenticity. This isn’t a leadership book — it’s an invitation to return to your own inner wisdom and inspire change for the better. Fusing timeless wisdom with modern practice, Stebbins equips leaders with pragmatic pathways to lead through complexity, cultivate trust, and create accountability-driven, compassionate cultures. It’s a deeply powerful realization at its core that a true leader starts from within and is led by the heart’s inner knowing. If you are ready to lead with heart, grit, and intention — ready to design a future characterized by empathy — Wise Leadership provides the roadmap to transform your organization and enrich your life. Will you heed the call to lead with your heart? (Click on book cover to go to the Amazon site)

*****

Matthew Skirpan – United States - Strategic Leader/Team Builder

“Wise Leadership: Embracing the Heart’s Wisdom by Gregory Stebbins, Ed.D., is a timely and thought-provoking exploration of leadership in an era where corporate cultures often prioritize efficiency over empathy. At a time when data-driven, results-focused approaches desensitize many leaders, this book offers a refreshing alternative—one that embraces wisdom, intuition, and emotional intelligence as essential leadership qualities. Its insights on stillness, perception, and heart-centered decision-making were compelling, encouraging a more authentic and human approach to leadership. Dr. Stebbins’ message is clear: true leadership is about strategy and outcomes and fostering connection, purpose, and trust. This book is essential for anyone seeking to lead with clarity and heart in today’s fast-paced world.”

*****

Matthew Heim, Ph.D. – United States - Author of Breaking the Musashi Code: Transcending Competition Through Visionary Strategy

“In a time dominated by an overwhelming influx of information, paired with the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, today’s leaders face the challenge of staying informed while often losing touch with their own inner wisdom. In this insightful book, Greg Stebbins offers a timely and transformative reminder of the power of reconnecting with our heart-centered wisdom.

Stebbins takes readers on an enriching journey of self-discovery, encouraging practices like self-empathy, self-compassion, and self-love. Through this process, he lays the foundation for a deeper understanding of oneself, which serves as the cornerstone for meaningful relationships with others. The book goes beyond theory, providing a practical framework to help leaders cultivate trust, compassion, and authentic connection within their teams and organizations.

This book is an essential read for leaders of today and tomorrow, as well as for anyone seeking to align with their heart’s wisdom in both personal and professional spheres. It is a compelling guide for fostering a culture of empathy and genuine understanding in a fast-paced, information-saturated world.”

*****

Rúna Bouius – Global Citizen - Founder – True Power Institute

“Dr. Gregory Stebbins brilliantly bridges the gaps between conventional leadership and the deeper wisdom we all possess but rarely access. In an era where leaders face crippling complexity, information overload, and an all-consuming AI revolution, this transformative guide reveals that our greatest power lies in going within. Through the chambers of the heart and the wisdom of the soul, Stebbins masterfully guides us to our True Power—showing us how to lead with intuition, authenticity, and deep purpose. Moving beyond mere efficiency and productivity, he illuminates how self-empathy, gratitude and heart-centered wisdom can transform our leadership presence. In a world drowning in data but starving for wisdom, Dr. Stebbins offers a profound pathway to accessing the extraordinary wisdom that lies within each of us, proving that our most powerful leadership advantage comes not from external knowledge but from embracing our full humanity and connecting with our soul’s deeper purpose.”

“I’m thrilled to recommend this essential resource that belongs in the library of any leader serious about diving deep into self-leadership, leadership of others, and leadership of larger entities like organizations, communities, and society.”

*****

Alan A. Malinchak – United States - CEO, Eclat Transitions LLC and Chief Learning Officer

“While reading Greg Stebbins’s Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom, I was struck by its common-sense approach and his impressive interconnectivity of focused thoughts right from the “Simple but Not Easy” introduction, which continued throughout the book. For me, Chapter 5’s “Small Moments of Pause” reaffirmed my belief that we all need to think before we speak or act, and Chapter 8’s emphasis on cultivating gratitude and presence focused on appreciating and celebrating even small wins in your behavior, performance, and communication – was a reminder of the importance of leading people with mutually clear expectations – a focus in Chapter 9 that encourages problem-solving, resolution, fairness, and consistency. Dr. Stebbins has indeed authored and offers “Words of Heartfelt Wisdom” that will resonate with each reader and cause them to pause, practice, cultivate, and encourage those they lead to “Lead with Your Heart!”

*****

Parineeta Bartakke – India - Director, Bartakke Electrofab Pvt. Ltd

“Traditional leadership literature often prioritizes logic and control, overlooking the importance of intuition and authenticity. In contrast, Dr. Gregory Stebbins emphasizes the essential role of inner reflection and connecting with “the wisdom of the heart” for today’s leaders. This book is a must-read for all leaders, offering a powerful reminder to ground themselves in hope, love, and authenticity amidst the fast-paced changes of the modern world.”

*****

Dr. Marcos Cajina Heinzkill – Spain - Founder and President of Renewal 10 consecutive year recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award and Lifelong Learning Excellence at the IE Business School- Executive Education

“In a world consumed with information overload and confusion, going still to listen to the heart might seem preposterous. The deep-seated belief that leadership is just about efficiency alone has derailed many talented individuals with high IQ/EQ scores. Dr Stebbins brilliantly proposes multi-brain integration in his pioneering book Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom to help leaders become effective leaders, not just productive high achievers. His elegant prose helps us understand complex concepts and invites us to move from insight to impact. This book is a timely work that will – undoubtedly – revolutionise how leadership is understood and taught in many business schools worldwide”.

*****

Gustavo Vieira – Brazil – Managing Partner and Design Lead at Livework Studio

“The vision and foundation, combined with the simplicity, use of examples, reflections, and tools presented, make Greg’s book a profound expander of consciousness about what it means to lead and how to be a leader. He introduces the pillars of intellectual knowledge, emotional intelligence, and intuition in a way that both makes sense and inspires action.

What struck me the most was how he discussed the fears associated with listening to and following our hearts’ voices. We often avoid this out of insecurity, but Greg explains it so clearly and practically that it feels natural to begin trusting this process. I love the idea of intentional listening and how being present holds the key.

This book isn’t just a method for better leadership—it’s a summons to become a better human being. Reading it helped me become more aware, connected, and motivated to apply what I’ve learned personally and professionally.”

*****

Dr. Steven Sim – United States – Director of Resource Planning (retired) Florida Power & Light Company.

“The book Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom by Greg Stebbins, Ed.D., is a compact and thought-provoking examination of an aspect of leadership that deserves more attention than it has traditionally been given. This aspect is the need for decision-makers to turn inward before making certain critical decisions to ensure that moral and ethical considerations are accounted for. Dr. Stebbins refers to this as listening to the “Heart’s Wisdom.”

Among the wisdom-related topics addressed in the book are: (i) the differences between “wisdom” and “information” (an all-important distinction in our age of non-stop information streaming), (ii) how “wisdom” has been thought of from the time of the ancient Greeks to the present, and (iii) techniques leaders can use to best access the wisdom that is inherent within them.

Dr. Stebbins is a recognized expert in the field of practical “how to do” leadership and his latest book should be a valuable addition to this field. The book should be helpful to leaders of all levels of experience and will be especially valuable to beginning or emerging leaders. During my 30-plus years of serving Florida Power & Light Company in various managerial positions, the training I received during that time period did not address the main topic of this book. Looking back, I can think of at least several instances in which this knowledge would have been helpful.”

*****

Jody Ono – Japan – Hitotsubashi University Business School, School of International Corporate Strategy, Tokyo, Japan

As the world casts about to define the leadership its needs for the post-knowledge economy, this book offers an answer anchored in an essentially human capacity: wisdom of the heart. Greg writes: “Wisdom fundamentally means discernment—the ability to see situations, relationships, and challenges for what they more deeply are.” The ability to see both clearly and deeply is not a technical skill, but emerges from an inner knowing that we cultivate through living and leading with integrity: with the whole of oneself, unfragmented, unbroken, de-compartmentalized, and anchored confidently in acceptance and gratitude. Greg reminds us that people have always possessed this capacity, ready to guide us in shaping our future, and we still do.

This book is a contemplation whose depth matches that of its topic, in the warmly elicited clarity it brings to big concepts like courage, self-loving, empathy, authenticity, resonance, and transcendence. I can’t wait for my students to read it. It will challenge, inspire, and reassure them all simultaneously.

*****

Jsu Garcia – Global Citizen – Author, The Love of a Master

“Gregory Stebbins, Ed.D., is not just an insightful author and visionary leader—he’s also a dear friend whose presence and wisdom I deeply value. His book, Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom, is a masterful reflection of his ability to combine the transformative power of love, wisdom, and self-loving into a guide for conscious leadership. Gregory shows us that true leadership starts within—by nurturing self-compassion and self-awareness, we create the foundation to lead others with authenticity and integrity. His understanding of the heart’s quiet wisdom inspires a deeper connection to ourselves and those we serve. Knowing Gregory, this book is a mirror of his life’s work and his commitment to fostering a world where self-loving, love, and wisdom of the heart are central to meaningful leadership and shared humanity.”

*****

Dr. Mary Emeny – Global Citizen – Founding Member Habitat for Humanity International

“I read this book right after watching the memorial service for President Carter. If we need an example of wise leadership, he is one of the best in recent times. One of the characteristics pointed out by Carter’s grandson was that his grandfather was the same person with whoever he met – a head of state, a family member, or a poor African villager. He loved and respected each one. The confidence to hold that level of internal integrity is one of the hallmarks of wisdom. It also gave him the courage to make decisions that he knew would be unpopular, but that were right in the long run.

That is what Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom calls us to, and Greg Stebbins lays out a path to develop this level of integrity within ourselves. It has always been important, but in our current state of climate change, political polarization and conflict, increased concentration of wealth, AI, and every form of media vying for our attention it is becoming critical. It takes tremendous will to find our own grounding, to honor our own experience, to be authentic within ourselves and the same person with everyone else. This book reminds us that it is doable, brings joy, and can positively affect others that we may never know. If you are called to this kind of leadership, Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom, by Gregory Stebbins, can be a wonderful companion.”

*****

Gregory Vahanian – United States – Transformational Life Coach, Author, and Speaker at Gregory Vahanian Coaching

“I found Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom by Dr. Gregory Stebbins to be a profound and timely guide that masterfully bridges the gap between leadership effectiveness and heart-centered wisdom. As I read, I discovered how authentic leadership transcends mere data and skills, as Stebbins guided me to access my inner compass that’s often drowned out by organizational noise.

The book’s exploration of head, hunch, and heart offered me a refreshing perspective on authentic leadership that’s both practical and profoundly transformative. What touched me most is that Stebbins doesn’t just articulate insights – I experienced a kind of transmission that shifted me into a place of stillness and deeper listening to my heart’s wisdom. Reading this valuable offering, I found it to be a soul-nourishing contribution to wisdom-based leadership that honors our own hearts and those of the people we lead and serve. For me, it was a must-read journey into making decisions that are not just smart but truly wise—highly recommended.”

*****

Dr. Amer Kaissi – United States – Professor, Executive Coach, and Professional Speaker Trinity University & Amer Kaissi Group Author – Humbitious: The Power of Low-Ego, High-Drive Leadership

“If you only read one leadership book this year, let it be Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom. In the age of Artificial Intelligence and rapidly advancing technology, Dr. Stebbins is calling all of us leaders to go back to our hearts, the quiet compass that exists within each of us and that can guide us toward wise decisions and superior outcomes. He encourages us, in a kind and gentle way, to overcome the fear of listening to our hearts and to develop the courage to lead with emotions, self-empathy, and self-loving. This is a very timely book that leaders will greatly benefit from applying its wisdom in their daily actions.”

*****

William C. Miller – Global Citizen – Author of “Flash of Brilliance: Inspiring Creativity Where You Work” and Co-author of “Perennial Wisdom of the Conscious Innovator”

“Greg leads us into a territory that we might intuitively know is true, yet don’t quite know how to awaken to it within ourselves. The territory of the heart’s wisdom, complete with its expressions of purpose, compassion, authenticity, and love. He presents the key themes with bold, almost-poetic practicality. Then he lays out a banquet of different practices that we can choose from, each encouraging and enabling us to make that territory our most welcoming home base within – and the greatest feature of our leadership.

As a guide, Greg more than succeeds in informing, inspiring, and empowering us to find our way home to our true selves as leaders at work, at home, and in life. As he does so, it’s clearly evident that he practices what he proclaims; his life as a leader and his experience as a leadership coach are evident on every page. We can easily trust that the potentialities and the opportunities he lays before us are indeed inherent in each of us, transforming the power of our leadership as they deepen our trust in ourselves.”

*****

Laren Bright – United States

“This book fully showcases Dr. Stebbins’s decades of coaching high-level executives and developing educational programs for highly successful leaders. As someone who has impressively walked this path of wise leadership, he speaks not only from head to head but also from heart to heart.

He takes concepts that might be described as complex at best and provides practical approaches, tools, and techniques to not only understand them but to practice and master them.

A respected pioneer in heart-centered leadership, Stebbins has boldly gone where few have gone before. He was among the first to speak openly about wisdom, as contrasted with intelligence, in leadership and to describe the role of loving as a component of leadership.”

*****

Dr. Jiani Wu – Global Citizen – Founder of MAGICademy “Embrace Your MAGIC Within”

“Dr. Greg’s book brings you on an adventure where your heart rejoices, your spirits sing, and your nervous brain relaxes with deep contentment. You will find yourself reading something boldly unique yet familiar, as if you may have already known it long ago. As we take shape in the mother’s womb, first comes the heart, then the brain. He reminds us that each pump in the heart produces strong electromagnetic waves that impact our brains and the people around us. As a result, our ability as leaders to protect and harness the power of the heart to lead becomes critical. In a logic-first world, the environment and social structure tend to encourage us to seek validation from outside. As a result, we hear “narcissism” rising. Heart, on the other hand, talks to us in silence or small voices (intuition) and encourages us to seek validation from within and know that our contribution to the world is not our status, but our existence with each heartbeat “lub-dub” “lub-dub” “lub-dub…” and a simple practice of self-love. Then comes the balance. He pointed out that our ability to stay in a dynamic “middle way” to balance deep empathy and professional boundaries is an important practice of sustainability. The book then concludes that our heart is where our home is, always warm, alive, and welcoming. A leader who listens to the heart’s wisdom is never alone, always loving, and always loved.“

*****

Nancy Carter – Global Citizen – Licensed Psychologist

“We could agree that today our leaders have a critical need for guidance whether the leader answers to Ms or to Mom, to Dad or to Sir. This book contains that guidance and delivers it in a clear, easily absorbed read. For instance, Dr. Stebbins delineates stages in a leader’s quest for wisdom as situations present themselves, starting with the need for information followed by a conscious refinement and expansion of that which underlies the facts. The leader learns to ask, “What are the patterns I am observing?” From that question can come more useful knowledge about the issue at hand. A leader moving on the path to wisdom learns to incorporate that knowledge into their being as lived experience, creating within themselves compassion which can lead to “wisdom moments.” Dr. Stebbins draws the connection between a leader evincing wisdom and a committed and productive employee. For “employee,” we could easily insert the words “son,” “daughter,” or “relationship” of any kind. This book was written by an enlightened educator. It will teach you and will warm your heart.“

*****

Kim Calvin – United States – Retired Airline Pilot

“It is both an Honor and Pleasure to express my personal and professional relationship with Dr Gregory Stebbins. He has been my mentor and coach for more than 46 years. As a Female Pilot, when we met up in 1979, it was my heart’s desire to become an Airline Pilot and fly Jumbo Jets all over the world. His “Yes You Can” became my North Star.

For him a small task for me a giant mountain. He understood with his extraordinary intelligence, innate intuition, loving heart, and Spirit how to follow and guide towards that “North Star.” Greg has the ability to re-calibrate your inner compass, to encourage and guide. I’ve often asked him to write down what he does. Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom does just that.

He reveals through his experiences how to reframe your past and how to bring your future into focus and thus reality. His tools guide you and as he reminds you to never forget your own inner “True North” He gives you a good heading to get the results that your heart desires in life. He reveals course corrections always reminding one that goals too have challenges along the way.

I am proud to say I flew The Jumbo Jet’s all around the world.”

*****

Rev. Penelope Townsend Bright, MSS – United States

“How refreshing!

“In his latest book, Dr. Stebbins advocates fully embracing our Heart as a pathway to Leadership. He suggests shifting focus to one’s inner wisdom, which he calls a “Quiet Compass.” He encourages listening more and speaking less, living and working authentically from our hearts.

“This new book presents a genuinely revolutionary approach, urging us to lead with our hearts while highlighting care, compassion, and discernment. It provides various specific methods, such as contemplation and stillness, to connect with the inner wisdom that dwells within each of us, awaiting discovery.

“In my fifty years of ministry, I have often observed leaders becoming fixated on asserting their authority and self-importance through various means. They focused on specific outward goals as their mission, attempting to fulfill their personal agendas while completely neglecting the needs of those they led.

“If a Golden Age for humanity is indeed to emerge, it will arise among those who seek the Wisdom of Our Heart, promote community and synergy, and trust in and empower others. As someone with deep faith, I eagerly anticipate the coming years when Heart’s Wisdom becomes the normative ‘quiet compass’ across business, law, education, health care, and all human interactions.”

*****

Lynn Cirillo – United States

“Wise Leadership: Embracing the Heart’s Wisdom is a gripping and transformational read that redefines 21st-century leadership and anchors it in love, wisdom, and authenticity. As the world faces information overload and the exponential growth of artificial intelligence, Dr. Greg Stebbins calls on leaders to move forward from power-centric models of authority, charisma, and control. Instead, he provides a way inward to wisdom and heart-based leadership. Focusing on self-empathy, self-compassion, and self-awareness, Stebbins “reminds readers that the tools they need to lead with purpose and integrity already lie within them.” The obstacle, he argues, is to find our way to our hearts by hearing, trusting, and developing the conviction to act from this well of being.”

“This book teaches wisdom as something that transcends data or information, applying wisdom as an art of emotional reasoning, intuition, and integrity. Through practical methods intended to create trust, compassion, and presence, Stebbins offers leaders the tools to navigate complexity with discernment while building cultures of openness, accountability, and authenticity. His teachings combine ancient wisdom with modern leadership best practices, and he moves past the conventional reliance on logic and control to an approach that recognizes the totality of our being, balancing the mind, the heart, and the gut. Stebbins presents in our hyper-driven, bifurcated, knee- jerk world a blueprint for transformation that speaks to the hearts of leaders everywhere: the concept that the path to meaning for us all begins with the innate wisdom of our heart and proceeds from there to the emergence of a more compassionate future.”

*****

Barney Singer – United States – Global Development Practitioner and International Affairs Lecturer

“In the United States and around the world, we are facing complicated challenges that, as author Isabel Faye Cabrera says, may make it feel like we are trying to solve a puzzle that is missing a few of its pieces: Abrupt changes in societal norms, the speed of changes to our systems, and the amount of information by which we are flooded all contribute to today’s complexities. In Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom, Greg Stebbins offers us a much-needed way to understand ourselves as leaders and what is possible with fresh eyes. Weaving together theoretical and academic knowledge with decades of his own practical examples, Greg calls us to harness our heart’s wisdom to affect change. Greg calls us to action – both internally and externally – by supporting us to realize that effective leadership begins with the self and that we are at our best when leading from that place of loving.”

Home

Reviews – Wise Leadership: Embracing Our Heart’s Wisdom