Leaders learn by leading, and they learn bestby leading in the face of obstacles. As weather shapes mountains, problems shape leaders. Warren G. Bennis More Quotes by Warren G. Bennis More Quotes From Warren G. Bennis The basis of leadership is the capacity of the leader to change the mindset, the framework of the other person. Warren G. Bennis frameworkmindsetleader Leaders are people who do the right thing: managers are people who do things right. Both roles are crucial, but they differ profoundly. I often observe people in top positions doing wrong things well. Warren G. Bennis rolesleaderpeople Success in management requires learning as fast as the world is changing. Warren G. Bennis managementworld Around the world, the generals are being ousted, and the poets are taking charge. Warren G. Bennis hospitalityleadershipworld Create a compelling vision, one that takes people to a new place, and then translate that vision into a reality. Warren G. Bennis visionrealitypeople Organizations have to come to grips with the fact that tests of adaptive capability aren't always pleasant. Learning can be a powerful emotional event, and organizations have to be cognizant of that. They must understand that those who complete high-quality executive education programs are going to see the organization with fresh eyes after they return. Those who re-enter the workplace filled with new enthusiasm and new ideas often find a chilly response on the part of their supervisors. Warren G. Bennis emotionalpowerfuleye The American Heritage Dictionary defines crucible as "a place, time, or situation characterized by the confluence of powerful intellectual, social, economic, or political forces; a severe test of patience or belief; a vessel for melting material at high temperatures." A crucible was the vessel in which medieval alchemists attempted to turn base metals into gold. That the alchemists inevitably failed in their audacious attempts doesn't denigrate the power of the crucible as a metaphor for the circumstances that cause an individual to be utterly transformed. Warren G. Bennis cruciblepoliticalpowerful Think of a crucible as an occasion for real magic, the creation of something more valuable than an alchemist could possibly imagine. In it, the individual is transformed, changed, created anew. He or she grows in ways that change his or her definition of self. Warren G. Bennis realselfthinking All great leaders constantly seek new information and new ways of thinking. Warren G. Bennis informationleaderthinking Judgment without character is expediency... or worse. Warren G. Bennis expediencyjudgmentcharacter The crucible is a dividing line, a turning point, and those who have gone through it feel they are very different from the way they were before. Believing that they have been transformed or have transformed themselves, those who survive the crucible (and many don't) are more confident, more willing to take future risks. That new self-confidence is grounded in the belief that he or she has done something hard and done it well. Warren G. Bennis self-confidenceriskbelieve Our tendency to create heroes rarely jibes with the reality that most nontrivial problems require collective solutions. Warren G. Bennis problemheroreality First and foremost, effective leaders must continuously strive to make themselves smarter and better at making judgments. Warren G. Bennis judgmentleaderfirsts Effective leaders make a full commitment to be a learner, to keep increasing and nourishing their knowledge and wisdom. Warren G. Bennis knowledge-and-wisdomleadercommitment Neotony is a metaphor for the quality of life - the gift - that keeps the fortunate of whatever age focused on all the marvelous undiscovered things to come. Warren G. Bennis metaphorqualityage The capacity for "uncontaminated wonder," ultimately, is what distinguishes the successful from the ordinary, the happily engaged players of whatever era from the chronically disappointed and malcontent. Therein lies a lesson for geeks, geezers, and the sea of people who fall in between. Warren G. Bennis successfullyingfall Find the appropriate balance of competing claims by various groups of stakeholders. All claims deserve consideration but some claims are more important than others. Warren G. Bennis groupsbalanceimportant Frank Gehry designs buildings that make other architects half his age (he's 78) gasp with envy. Neotony is what makes him lace up his skates and whirl around the ice rink, while visionary buildings come to life and dance in his head. Warren G. Bennis envyicedesign Recognize and respect mutual self-interests, then build creative collaborations to serve them. Warren G. Bennis creative-collaborationinterestself Understand stakeholder symmetry: Find the appropriate balance of competing claims by various groups of stakeholders. Warren G. Bennis groupsbalanceclaims
