Warren G. Bennis Quotes

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.

Failing organizations are usually over-managed and under-led.

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born.

The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born - that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.

Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centered and that gives their work meaning.

Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart of things, not at the periphery.

Find the appropriate balance of competing claims by various groups of stakeholders. All claims deserve consideration but some claims are more important than others.

Leaders learn by leading, and they learn bestby leading in the face of obstacles. As weather shapes mountains, problems shape leaders.

Emotional intelligence, more than any other factor, more than I.Q. or expertise, accounts for 85% to 90% of success at work... I.Q. is a threshold competence. You need it, but it doesn't make you a star. Emotional intelligence can.

You are your own raw material. When you know what you consist of and what you want to make of it, then you can invent yourself.

The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment.

Leaders are people who do the right thing; managers are people who do things right.

Leaders must earn the trust of their teams, their organizations, and their stakeholders before attempting to engage their support.

Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult.

Trust is the emotional glue that binds followers and leaders together.

Growing other leaders from the ranks isn't just the duty of the leader, it's an obligation.

Leaders do not avoid, repress, or deny conflict, but rather see it as an opportunity

The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish.

In life, change is inevitable. In business, change is vital.

Understand stakeholder symmetry: Find the appropriate balance of competing claims by various groups of stakeholders.

Followers who tell the truth, and leaders who listen to it, are an unbeatable combination.

All of great leaders evidence four basic qualities that are central to their ability to lead: adaptive capacity, the ability to engage others through shared meaning, a distinctive voice, and unshakeable integrity. These four qualities mark all exemplary leaders, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, or race.

The leader...is rarely the brightest person in the group. Rather they have extraordinary taste, which makes them more curators than creators. They are appreciators of talent and nurturers of talent and they have the ability to recognize valuable ideas.

Without character, there is no credibility; and without credibility, there is no trust.

Taking charge of your own learning is a part of taking charge of your life, which is the sine qua non in becoming an integrated person.

Vision animates, inspires, transforms purpose into action.

Excellence is a better teacher than mediocrity. The lessons of the ordinary are everywhere. Truly profound and original insights are to be found only in studying the exemplary.

There is a profound difference between information and meaning.

Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work.

People who cannot invent and reinvent themselves must be content with borrowed postures, secondhand ideas, fitting in instead of standing out.

Embrace error: Create an atmosphere in which prudent risk taking is strongly encouraged.

To become a leader, then, you must become yourself, become the maker of your own life

The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. The manager has his eye on the bottom line; the leader has his eye on the horizon. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.

Leadership has become a heavy industry. Concern and interest about leadership development is no longer an American phenomenon. It is truly global. Though I will probably be in less demand, I wanted to move on.

Learning to be an effective leader is no different than learning to be an effective person. And that's the hard part

I am reminded how hollow the label of leadership sometimes is and how heroic followership can be.

One of the qualities that all the leaders have is a voracious appetite to learn whatever they do not as yet know and understand, coupled with an openness to new experiences.

What makes a good follower? The single most important characteristic may well be a willingness to tell the truth. In a world of growing complexity leaders are increasingly dependent on their subordinates for good information, whether the leaders want to hear it or not. Followers who tell the truth and leaders who listen to it are an unbeatable combination.

Great things are achieved by talented people who are absolutely convinced that they not only can but will achieve them.

The learning person looks forward to failure or mistakes. The worst problem in leadership is basically early success.

Encourage dissent: Leaders should have associates who have contrary views, who are devil's advocates, "variance sensors" who can tell them the difference between what is expected and what is really happening, between what they want to hear and what they need to hear. There are too many naked emperors running around today.

Don't over-react to the trouble makers.

Leadership (according to John Sculley) revolves around vision, ideas, direction, and has more to do with inspiring people as to direction and goals than with day-to-day implementation. A leader must be able to leverage more than his own capabilities. He must be capable of inspiring other people to do things without actually sitting on top of them with a checklist.

A new leader has to be able to change an organization that is dreamless, soulless and visionless... someone's got to make a wake up call.

Leaders keep their eyes on the horizon, not just on the bottom line.

Leadership is like beauty - it's hard to define but you know it when you see it.

Too many companies believe people are interchangeable. Truly gifted people never are. They have unique talents. Such people cannot be forced into roles they are not suited for, nor should they be. Effective leaders allow great people to do the work they were born to do.

Leaders must encourage their organizations to dance to forms of music yet to be heard.