On Becoming a Leader: The Leadership Classic (Paperback)

~ (Author) "In November 1987, Time asked in a cover story, "Who's in Charge?..." (more)
Key Phrases: blessed impulse, maintenance learning, innovative learning, Norman Lear, Barbara Corday, Jim Burke (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Business consultant and University of Southern California professor of business administration, Bennis here deplores what he considers a dearth of leadership in the world. Although he provides solid, practical guidance in how to fill this vacuum, his philosophically and psychologically rich volume seeks primarily to define leadership--which, in his view, requires self-knowledge and clear personal goals. Leaders in widely diverse areas--represented by television producer Norman Lear, AIDS researcher Mathilde Krim, CEO John Sculley and feminist Gloria Steinem--all share, contends Bennis, the ability to unite people in a common purpose. The curiosity of leaders, their faith in an "inner voice" and success in seizing control of their lives distinguish them from mere managers. But while a leader may demonstrate talent, the author observes that its fulfillment depends largely on organizational response to the challenge. 75,000 first printing; major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Bennis, author of the popular Leaders: The Strategies of Taking Charge (LJ 4/1/85) and also co-author of The Unreality Industry , reviewed in this issue, p. 00.-- Ed. , has interviewed hundreds of leaders over time, and he uses 30 of them to illustrate his points. He does this by quoting them, as appropriate, in the various chapters of the book--"Understand The Basics," "Operating on Instinct," "Knowing Yourself," etc. He still sees vision as an essential ingredient for leadership, but in this work stresses how to find the vision. "The point is to become yourself, to use yourself completely--all your skills, gifts, and energies--in order to make your vision manifest." Recommended for all business collections.
- Michael D. Kathman, St. John's Univ., Collegeville, Minn.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; Revised edition (April 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738208175
• ISBN-13: 978-0738208176
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #192,757 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent study of leadership., February 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: On Becoming A Leader: Revised Edition (Paperback)

Charles Smith Submitted 2/18/99

Bennis, W. (1989). On Becoming A Leader. Reading, Massachusetts: Perseus Books

This book deals with leadership, how one becomes a leader, and the many people the author knows with leadership qualities. It is written in an easy to understand format that uses many formulas which people have used to obtain strong leadership qualities. Bennis points out three reasons for the importance of effective leadership. Leaders are responsible for organizational effectiveness, leaders must also provide stability to an organization and the need for integrity within an organization. Norman Lear, writer and director, is often referenced by Bennis. He believes that society is suffering from what he calls a "societal disease" of short-term thinking. This can be a stumbling block in the pursuit of total leadership. One of Bennis' premises is that that the context of leadership is a breaker not a maker and that most people fail to realize the difference. To be an effective leader one must see it as an end result, not a beginning. Learning from failure is also an important theme in the book. The author points out a person fictitiously called Ed and how he never really understood what it took to be an effective leader. While he had wonderful management skills, he was not trusted because he was unable to make people feel willing to follow. He had followers but they were not always willing followers. Norman Lear again provides insight to what he calls mastering the context of leadership. A leader must be self-expressive, listen to the inner voice, learn from the right mentors and give oneself over to a guiding vision. Bennis defines three ingredients that encompass leadership. A guiding vision is to know where one wants to go and how to get there. Another ingredient is passion. This occurs when a leader loves what he does and loves doing it. The third component is integrity. This follows the "know thyself" concept. If you know your strengths and weaknesses you will better know how to deal with certain tasks. There is great value in separating what people think and expect of you from what you think and expect of yourself, according to the author. Bennis discusses three types of learning that mold potential leaders. The first is maintenance learning described as using fixed methods and outlooks to deal with "recurring situations." The second is shock learning in which people are overwhelmed by events. These two types of learning are said to be more about accepting other's philosophies than about true learning. Bennis acknowledges the need to replace maintenance and shock learning with what he calls innovative learning, which requires one to be imaginative, an active listener and to participate in shaping events, instead of letting events shape you. Another concept is dealing with oneself. Bennis talks about learning from mistakes and looking back to see how mistakes could make a better future. These concepts are conducive to future growth. He also points out how failure is part of becoming an effective leader. It is necessary for growth and a lack of failure could indicate an unwillingness to take risks. Leaders must be able to deal with different personalities. Bennis discusses right-brained people, identifiable as intuitive, conceptual and artistic. He also identifies left-brained people who are logical, analytical and have technical backgrounds. In other words, a leader must be able to see through the eyes of an accountant as well as a researcher and mesh the two into a vision. Bennis calls this being whole brained. The author also talks the importance of trust building. He points out four traits necessary for trust to develop: consistency, congruity, reliability and integrity. With these characteristics, true leadership can take place. These important components of leadership are what kept Ed from being an effective leader. The author points out that trust is the foundation in which true leadership can be cultivated.

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Should have been better, August 18, 2004

By	M. D. Thomas "ReadingSailor" (New London, CT) - See all my reviews

When the author sticks to discussing leadership, I found this book very readable and easy to understand. The book is written in a very easy to follow format and he explores the personal side of leadership. He presents some very altruistic ideas the sound very good, however, aren't always practical in the real world. This book would have received a higher rating for me also if Mr. Bennis would have refrained from all the political commentary throughout the beginning of his book. His repeated support for a former president while being less than flattering of the current president put too much of a political overtone in the beginning and really turned me off. It wouldn't matter if I agreed with Mr. Bennis or not, it simply didn't have a place in what would have otherwise been a very good book.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Human Touch of Leadership, June 28, 2003

By	Dr. W. G. Covington, Jr. (Edinboro, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

While I don't agree with all of Bennis' role models, he makes some very valid points about achievement, leadership, and human relationships. Like John Maxwell and others who have paid their dues, he mentions the importance of learning from failure. One of the many useful quotes Bennis provides is "it is not enough for a leader to do things right, he must do the right thing." Also like other writers in this genre, he says one of the fundamentals of leadership is to have a guiding vision. As a communicator, Bennis encourages potential leaders to codify their thoughts through writing. Writing eliminates ambiguity and helps one to focus. Leadership is viewed as a process in the sense that goal-accomplishment involves several incremental phases. He writes "the goal isn't worth arriving at unless you enjoy the journey." A process of self-reflection is outlined and discussed in the middle section of the book. This is followed by some advice on how to investigate the world at large. Travel, reading, and involvement are three keys to learning the environment in which one is to contribute. Bennis has some ideas worthy of followup. His book is worth reading.