Research shows that people who consistently make wise and judicious decisions possess four dominant traits.

First, wisdom involves understanding that the world is in flux and that circumstances are likely to change over time. Thus, the wise person displays ongoing openness, flexibility and a willingness to change one's course of action as the situation changes. Rigidity and closed-mindedness do not tend to lead to wise decisions.

In addition, research shows that wise people understand the limits of their own knowledge and recognize that their personal beliefs, perspectives and preferred courses of action are often not optimal and, in fact, are sometimes incorrect. Assuming that no one knows everything or has an inside route to intellectual or moral truth, wisdom requires a large dose of intellectual humility.

Wisdom also involves making a concerted effort to transcend one's own biases and personal interests. Given that everybody's views are inherently egocentric and biased, wise leaders recognize that the approach they personally prefer may not, in fact, lead to the best decision.

Finally, achieving the common good requires that a wise leader take all interests and perspectives into account. To see the big picture, wise people seek and rely on ideas and feedback from other people, and they sometimes change their preconceptions about the best course of action based on other people's input. And, the more diverse the advisers who are consulted, the wiser the final decision is likely to be. Wisdom requires searching for genuine compromise when disagreements and conflicts about the best course of action arise.

So why do we have trouble finding wise leaders? The problem is probably not a shortage of reasonably wise people. Rather, the problem may be that the attributes that underlie wisdom are often diametrically opposed to the traits that people seek in their favorite political candidates.

For example, a Pew Research Center Poll showed that only 38 percent of voters polled indicated that "willingness to compromise" is essential in a president.

Put differently, more than six in 10 voters say they don't think that a core aspect of wisdom is essential in a president.

On the other hand, about half of respondents indicated it is essential for a president to maintain consistent positions and be forceful, and 30 percent indicated it was essential for presidents to show party loyalty. These characteristics fly in the face of the fact that wisdom involves flexibility, openness and ongoing effort to minimize the effects of one's own egocentric views and personal preferences on his or her decisions.

These polls suggest that, no matter what they might say, many voters are not looking for a wise president. In fact, many people apparently want the president to possess characteristics that reflect a decided lack of wisdom.

For example, a large proportion of the population favors candidates who display traits incompatible with wisdom - dogmatism, rigidity, overconfidence in one's own views and an unwillingness to compromise.

It is as if many voters from across the political spectrum are seeking a general who will fight ideological battles rather than a president who seeks wise and effective solutions to the country's many problems. With a contentious presidential race on the horizon this year, voters would be smart to look for the candidate who possesses the right stuff to govern wisely.