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. Warren G. Bennis More Quotes by Warren G. Bennis More Quotes From Warren G. Bennis See the long view: By all means "plant the corn, milk the cows, and feed the horses" but always keep the eventual "harvest" in mind. Warren G. Bennis horse views mean Almost without exception, members of great groups see themselves as winning underdogs, as a feisty David hurling fresh ideas at a big, backward-looking Goliath. They always have an "enemy." Warren G. Bennis winning enemy ideas If great teams don't have an "enemy," they create one for themselves because, as former Coca-Cola CEO Roberto Goizueta pointed out, "you can't have a war without one." Warren G. Bennis team war enemy People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic, as they proceed from one challenge and crisis to the next. Warren G. Bennis optimistic opportunity people That is the key challenge facing management today; change is the only constant. Warren G. Bennis keys challenges today No leader can create sustainable, significant change without a reservoir of good will. Without that, you always tend to compromise with failure. Warren G. Bennis significant-change compromise leader In great groups, the right people always have the right job. Warren G. Bennis groups jobs people Understand the "Gretzky Factor": Cultivate an instinct, a "touch", call it what you will, that enables you to know both where the "puck" is now and where it will be soon. Warren G. Bennis gretzky puck instinct Perhaps the central task of the leader of leaders thus becomes the development of other leaders. Warren G. Bennis tasks development leader Some of the strongest resistance to necessary change is the result of what Jim O'Toole has so aptly characterized as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom." Warren G. Bennis necessary-change resistance comfort People vary enormously in how they learn. Some learn through their eyes - by reading but also by responding to all kinds of visual information. Others learn mostly through their ears or touch or other senses. Warren G. Bennis eye reading people This duality, making yourself better while teaching and developing others' judgment capabilities, is the key to leadership that is both productive and principled. Warren G. Bennis judgment keys teaching Think of successful creative collaborations are dreams with deadlines. Warren G. Bennis successful dream thinking Great groups deliver great results. And for everyone involved in a great group, great work is its own reward. Warren G. Bennis great-work rewards groups Organizations should try to find out if their learning programs actually work. Warren G. Bennis program organization trying Great leaders love talent and know where to find it. They surround themselves with talented people who can work effectively together. Warren G. Bennis leader together people The failure to find the right niche for people - or to let them find their own perfect niches - is a major reason that so many workplaces are mediocre, even toxic, in spite of the presence of talent. Leaders of great groups give them whatever they need and free them from everything else. Warren G. Bennis perfect giving people Leaders must earn the trust of their teams, their organizations, and their stakeholders before attempting to engage their support. Warren G. Bennis support team organization One of the worst mistakes is to do nothing. Warren G. Bennis worst mistake Expect the best from your people and they will usually deliver but your expectations must be realistic. Warren G. Bennis realistic expectations people
