Warren Bennis

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Warren Gameliel Bennis (born March 8, 1925 in New York - † July 31, 2014 in Santa Monica , California ) was an American economist and one of the leading authorities in the field of organizational development , leadership theory and change management . His last professional position was a professorship in business administration at the University of Southern California , where he also founded the Leadership Institute . He was also chairman of the board of directors at Harvard University Kennedy School of Government's Center for Public Leadership . Bennis has taught at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Boston University .

Life

Bennis was born on March 8, 1925 in New York and grew up in Westwood, New Jersey . He did his military service as an infantry officer in the US Army from 1943 to 1947 and was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for his service in Germany . After returning to America, he studied at Antioch College to obtain a bachelor's degree (1951) and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he graduated in 1955 with a doctorate in economics and sociology. He began a career as a teacher at MIT.

At the age of 42, Bennis gave up his position at MIT and took on the position of Vice President (Executive Vice-President) of the State University of New York in Buffalo (1967 to 1971). From 1971 to 1977, Bennis was the successor to Walter C. Slowly President of the University of Cincinnati . This practical experience flowed into his writings. From 1979 Bennis taught at the University of Southern California.

As an advisor to four US presidents, including John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan , Bennis was an influence in the US government for many years. Bennis has written or helped create 27 books on leadership, advised companies and lectured worldwide.

His title "Leaders" (1985, in collaboration with Burt Nanus) was named one of the 50 most influential management titles by the Financial Times . His essays "An Invented Life: Reflections on Leadership and Change" were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize . A total of around 2 million books were published by Bennis.

On July 31, 2014, Bennis died of old age in a nursing home in Santa Monica. He left behind his daughter, Kate, two sons, John and Will, his wife Grace Gabe, and six grandchildren.

Works

Benni's main focus is on the concept of leadership , which, like other theorists, he treats as different from management . For Bennis, leadership is a learnable skill for managers who are willing to invest the energy and work. In his opinion, managers and leaders differ in many ways:

Manager leader
managed renewed
is a copy is an original
receives developed
focuses on systems
and structures
focuses on people
relies on control inspires confidence
thinks in the short term thinks long term
asks "How?" and when?" ask something?" and why?"
keeps his eye on the balance sheet keeps an eye on the horizon
accepts the status quo challenges the status quo
is the classic good soldier is completely himself
doing things right do the right things

For his book Leaders , he spoke to 90 senior executives from corporations and public institutions in the United States. As a key finding, he notes that there is no such thing as the perfect style . Leaders need to develop their own. Nevertheless, Bennis and his co-author Burt Nanus can work out some essential similarities

  • Management of Attention - It takes a vision to focus the mind.
  • Management of Meaning - You have to be able to convey the vision.
  • Management of Trust - You have to be consistent and believable.
  • Management of the Self - One must be aware of one's own weaknesses.

In addition, a guide must be able to

  • Accept criticism when it is justified
  • to change when necessary and
  • to continue anyway

His interest in leadership is also evident in Organizing Genius , where he studied successful teams. To be successful, teams must

  • have a common dream
  • Have members willing to subordinate their personal dream to the common one
  • have young members willing to work long hours
  • Have protection from the "suits" (the leadership management)

His work on groups led Bennis to understand that his previous focus on individual leaders may have over-emphasized individualism, and he now prefers to talk about partnership .

Quotes

"Managers are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do the right thing."

"Managers are people who do their thing right, while leaders are people who do the right thing."

- Warren Bennis : On Becoming a Leader

"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. "

“The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born - that there is a genetic leadership factor. This myth reinforces the belief that you either have it or you don't. This is nonsense! The opposite is true, leaders are made, not born. "

- Warren Bennis

"(In future problems will be solved by) task forces composed of relative strangers who represent a set of diverse professional skills."

"(In the future, problems will be solved by) ... project teams, composed of relatively foreigners with various professional skills"

- Warren Bennis

"No leader sets out to be a leader. People set out to lead their lives, expressing themselves fully. When that expression is of value, they become leaders. "

“No leader started out as a leader. People live their lives and express themselves fully in it. And if that phrase is valuable, then they become leaders "

- Warren Bennis

"Good leaders make people feel that they're at the 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 like they are at the heart of the matter, not the edge. Everyone feels that he or she is making a significant contribution to the success of the organization. When that happens, people feel balanced, and that gives their work meaning. "

- Warren Bennis

"The core competency of leadership is character."

"The core competence in leadership is character."

- Warren Bennis

Works (selection)

  • Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge . (with Burt Nanus), Harper Business 01/1997, ISBN 0-06-055954-3 -
  • Managing People is Like Herding Cats . Executive Excellence Publishing 01/1997, ISBN 1-890009-61-X .
  • Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration .
  • Co-Leaders: The Power of Great Partnerships .
  • Geeks and Geezers: Leading and Learning for a Lifetime . (with Robert Thomas), Harvard Business School Press 08/2002, ISBN 1-57851-582-3 .
  • Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader . (with Joan Goldsmith), Basic Books 10/2003, ISBN 0-7382-0905-8 .
  • Managing the Dream: Reflections on Leadership and Change . Perseus Publishing 07/2000, ISBN 0-7382-0332-7 .
  • Old Dogs, New Tricks: On Creativity and Collaboration . Executive Excellence Publishing 05/1999, ISBN 1-890009-34-2 .
  • On Becoming A Leader: The Leadership Classic — Updated And Expanded . Perseus Books 04/2003, ISBN 0-7382-0817-5 .
  • Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration . Perseus Books 06/1998, ISBN 0-201-33989-7 .
  • The Temporary Society: What is Happening to Business and Family Life in America Under the Impact of Accelerating Change . (with Phillip Slater), Jossey-Bass 10/1998, ISBN 0-7879-4331-2 .
  • Why Leaders Can't Lead: The Unconscious Conspiracy Continues . Jossey-Bass 05/1998, ISBN 0-7879-0943-2 .
  • Beyond Bureaucracy: Essays on the Development and Evolution of Human Organization .
  • Beyond Counterfeit Leadership: How You Can Become a More Authentic Leader .
  • Beyond Leadership: Balancing Economics, Ethics and Ecology .
  • The Unreality Industry: The Deliberate Manufacturing of Falsehood and What It Is Doing to Our Lives .
  • Visionary Leadership: Creating a Compelling Sense of Direction for Your Organization .

Sources and individual references

  1. Stuart Crainer (1998) Key Management Ideas 3rd ed. Pearson Education Limited, London ( ISBN 0-273-63808-4 )
  2. a b c d e f g Obituary for Warren Bennis in the Los Angeles Times, August 2, 2014; Warren Bennis dies at 89; USC professor was expert on leadership ; accessed on August 7, 2014.
  3. a b c d e f g Charles Handy, Warren Bennis in The Handy Guide to the Gurus of Management ; BBC English course; accessed on August 7, 2014.
  4. ^ Warren Bennis (1990) Managing the Dream , Training Magazine