Journal Review - Whole Leadership

The purpose of this article was to make an attempt to define the actions necessary for CEOs to meet the challenges of complexity, diversity, and uncertainty in the ever changing scope of today's firms. It was stated that today's leaders need to exhibit head, heart, and guts in order to successfully meet the challenges in the global marketplace of business.

The study included conversations with several CEOs of major corporations, including references to Johnson & Johnson, Apple, and Proctor & Gamble. One CEO expressed, "how there is too much information to digest and too many decisions to make; how he feels as if he is losing touch with his people; how it is impossible to know the right thing to do" (Dotlich, Cairo, & Rhinesmith, 2008, p. 45). A reference was made from an article published in Business Week stating that, "The job of the CEO has become so consuming and complex that if you could actually list all the things the CEO is responsible for, no human can do them all" (Dotlich, Cairo, & Rhinesmith, 2008, p. 45).

In order to combat the difficulties facing today's CEOs, it is suggested that decisions be made "using your "head" to anticipate, understand, analyze, and respond to new strategic directions, your "heart" to see the world from the perspective of a diverse range of stakeholders, and your "guts" to make tough decisions based on clear values" (Dotlich, Cairo, & Rhinesmith, 2008, p. 46). The many faces of social uncertainty facing today's CEOs force decisions to be made to promote change in order to remain competitive in the global marketplace. These decisions are often based on the wrong knowledge, inadequate technologies, and the wrong experience. The authors indicate that "whole" leaders will use their "head, heart, and guts to anticipate and deal with the future" (Dotlich, Cairo, & Rhinesmith, 2008, p. 48).

The results of this study indicate that CEOs should adhere to the following three actions:

* "Assess current and future leaders as whole leaders" (Dotlich, Cairo, & Rhinesmith, 2008, p. 50). In the past, future leaders were groomed from within their respective organizations. Too much experience with any given firm could cloud the judgments and decisions that need to be made. This could prevent leaders from seeing sudden shifts in market trends or prevent them from taking any kind of risk. Whole leaders should possess a balance of intellectual intelligence, emotional intelligence, and moral intelligence, or head, heart and guts.

* "Foster learning rather than "knowing" at the top" (Dotlich, Cairo, & Rhinesmith, 2008, p. 51). Social uncertainty can equate to a lack of trust. Strategic alignment with senior staff can foster more educated decision making. Providing a "transparent" philosophy among