Famous Quotes & Sayings

Warren G. Bennis

I used to think that running an organization was equivalent to conducting a symphony orchestra. But I don't think that's quite it; it's more like jazz. There is more improvisation.

Warren G. Bennis

That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.

Warren G. Bennis

The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.

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

Perhaps the central task of the leader of leaders thus becomes the development of other leaders.

Warren G. Bennis

Without a terrific leader, you're not going to have a Great Group. But it is also true that you're not going to have a great leader without a Great Group.

Warren G. Bennis

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.

Warren G. Bennis

The leader has a clear idea of what he wants to do professionally and personally, and the strength to persist in the face of setbacks, even failures

Warren G. Bennis

Power is the basic energy needed to initiate and sustain action or, to put it another way, the capacity to translate intention into reality and sustain it. Leadership is the wise use of this power: Transformative leadership.

Warren G. Bennis

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

Warren G. Bennis

The new leader is one who commits people to action, who converts followers into leaders, and who may convert leaders into agents of change.

Warren G. Bennis

More leaders have been made by accident, circumstance, sheer grit, or will than have been made by all the leadership courses put together.

Warren G. Bennis

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

Warren G. Bennis

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

Warren G. Bennis

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

Warren G. Bennis

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.

Warren G. Bennis

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

Warren G. Bennis

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

Warren G. Bennis

The leaders I met, whatever walk of life they were from, whatever institutions they were presiding over, always referred back to the same failure something that happened to them that was personally difficult, even traumatic, something that made them feel that desperate sense of hitting bottom-as something they thought was almost a necessity. It's as if at that moment the iron entered their soul; that moment created the resilience that leaders need.

Warren G. Bennis

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.

Warren G. Bennis

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

Warren G. Bennis

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born...

Warren G. Bennis

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

Warren G. Bennis

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

Warren G. Bennis

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

Warren G. Bennis

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

Warren G. Bennis

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.

Ronald Reagan

It was leadership here at home that gave us strong American influence abroad, and the collapse of imperial Communism. Great nations have responsibilities to lead, and we should always be cautious of those who would lower our profile, because they might just wind up lowering our flag.

Ronald Reagan

The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.

Ronald Reagan

Our policy is simple: We are not going to betray our friends, reward the enemies of freedom, or permit fear and retreat to become American policies. ... None of the four wars in my lifetime came about because we were too strong. It is weakness ... that invites adventurous adversaries to make mistaken judgments.

Wilt Chamberlain

I've prided myself on being in excellent condition-as good as any man in my profession. Now this doesn't come from sitting around on your rear end. This comes from hard, hard work.

Wilma Mankiller

Recognizing the good, not just in one's own personal circumstances, but in the world, makes anything possible. When I am asked about the important characteristics of leadership, being of good, positive mind is at the top of my list. If a leader can focus on the meritorious characteristics of other people and try to play to their strengths as well as find value in even the most difficult situation, she can inspire hope and faith in others and motivate them to move forward.

Will Rogers

Labor leaders don't do much laboring after they are able to lead.