On Becoming a Leader PDF
Preview On Becoming a Leader
0465014088_fm.qxd:0738208175_fm.qxd 12/2/08 2:52 PM Page i More praise for On Becoming a Leader “Warren Bennis—master practitioner, researcher, and theoretician all in one—has managed to create a practical primer for leaders without sacrificing an iota of necessary subtlety and complexity. No topic is more important; no more able and caring person has attacked it.” —Tom Peters “The lessons here are crisp and persuasive.” —Fortune “This is Warren Bennis’s most important book.” —Peter Drucker “A joy to read...studded with gems of insight.” —Dallas Times-Herald “Bennis identifies the key ingredients of leadership success and offers a game plan for cultivating those qualities.” —Success “Clearly Bennis’s best work in a long line of impressive, significant contributions.” —Business Forum “Totally intriguing, thought-stretching insights into the clockworks of leaders. Bennis has masterfully peeled the onion to reveal the heartseed of leadership. Read it and reap.” —Harvey B. McKay “Warren Bennis gets to the heart of leadership, to the essence of integrity, authenticity, and vision that can never be pinned down to a manipulative formula. This book can help any of us select the new leaders we so urgently need.” —Betty Friedan “Warren Bennis’s insight and his gift with words make these lessons, from some of America’s most interesting leaders, compelling reading for every executive.” —Charles Handy 0465014088_fm.qxd:0738208175_fm.qxd 12/2/08 2:52 PM Page ii This page intentionally left blank 0465014088_fm.qxd:0738208175_fm.qxd 12/2/08 2:52 PM Page iii On Becoming a Leader 0465014088_fm.qxd:0738208175_fm.qxd 12/22/08 1:52 PM Page iv Also by Warren Bennis Beyond Leadership (co-author) Beyond Bureaucracy Co-Leaders (co-author) Douglas McGregor on Management (co-author) Geeks and Geezers (co-author) Judgment (co-author) Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge (co-author) Leaders on Leadership (editor) Learning to Lead (co-author) Managing People Is Like Herding Cats Managing the Dream Old Dogs, New Tricks Organizing Genius (co-author) Reinventing Leadership (co-author) The Temporary Society (co-author) Transparency (co-author) The 21st Century Organization (co-author) The Unreality Industry (co-author) Why Leaders Can’t Lead 0465014088_fm.qxd:0738208175_fm.qxd 12/2/08 2:52 PM Page v On Becoming a Leader Warren Bennis A MEMBEROFTHEPERSEUSBOOKSGROUP NEWYORK 0465014088_fm.qxd:0738208175_fm.qxd 12/2/08 2:52 PM Page vi The poem “Six Significant Landscapes,” by Wallace Stevens, is taken fromThe Collected Poems of Wallace Stevensand is used by permission of the publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and where Basic Books was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial capital letters. Copyright © 2009 by Warren Bennis Inc. First Edition Copyright © 1989 by Warren Bennis Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Control Number: 2003100205 ISBN: 978-0-465-01408-8; 0–7382–0817–5 Basic Books is a member of the Perseus Books Group. Find us on the World Wide Web at www.basicbooks.com. Books published by Basic Books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S. by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected]. Text design by Lisa Kreinbrink Set in 11-point Janson Text by the Perseus Books Group 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0465014088_fm.qxd:0738208175_fm.qxd 1/9/09 1:16 PM Page vii To David Cannom, MD, David Gergen, and Stephen Sample for their unsparing efforts to make our world healthier and saner. 0465014088_fm.qxd:0738208175_fm.qxd 12/2/08 2:52 PM Page viii This page intentionally left blank 0465014088_fm.qxd:0738208175_fm.qxd 12/2/08 2:52 PM Page ix Contents Acknowledgments xi Introduction to the Revised Edition, 2003 xiii Introduction to the Original Edition, 1989 xxix 1 Mastering the Context 1 2 Understanding the Basics 33 3 Knowing Yourself 49 4 Knowing the World 67 5 Operating on Instinct 95 6 Deploying Yourself: Strike Hard, Try Everything 107 7 Moving Through Chaos 135 8 Getting People on Your Side 147 9 Organizations Can Help—or Hinder 165 10 Forging the Future 185 Epilogue to the Twentieth-Anniversary Edition 199 Biographies 227 References 241 Index 245
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