Warren Bennis Quotes

A collection of quotes by Warren Bennis.

Warren Bennis (1925-2014) was an American scholar, author, and leadership expert. He gained recognition for his significant contributions to the field of leadership studies and organizational development. Bennis served as a professor at Harvard Business School and later became the President of the University of Cincinnati. Throughout his career, he authored several influential books on leadership, including "On Becoming a Leader" and "Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge." Bennis was renowned for his emphasis on the importance of integrity, authenticity, and adaptability in effective leadership. His work continues to inspire and shape the understanding of leadership in various domains.

Leaders are people who do the right thing; managers are peop

Leaders are people who do the right thing; managers are people who do things right.

Success in management requires learning as fast as the world

Success in management requires learning as fast as the world is changing.

There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance

There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish.

Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organiza

Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work.

Leadership is the wise use of power. Power is the capacity t

Leadership is the wise use of power. Power is the capacity to translate intention into reality and sustain it.

The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager h

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.

Managers are people who do things right; leaders are people

Managers are people who do things right; leaders are people who do the right thing.

The factory of the future will have only two employees, a ma

The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment.

The leaders I met, whatever walk of life they were from, wha

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.

Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It i

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

Emotional intelligence, more than any other factor, more tha

Emotional intelligence, more than any other factor, more than I.Q. or expertise, accounts for 85% to 90% of success at work... I.Q. is a threshold competence. You need it, but it doesn't make you a star. Emotional intelligence can.

Leaders learn by leading, and they learn best by leading in

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

We have more information now than we can use, and less knowl

We have more information now than we can use, and less knowledge and understanding than we need. Indeed, we seem to collect information because we have the ability to do so, but we are so busy collecting it that we haven't devised a means of using it. The true measure of any society is not what it knows but what it does with what it knows.

Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart

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.

Leadership has become a heavy industry. Concern and interest

Leadership has become a heavy industry. Concern and interest about leadership development is no longer an American phenomenon. It is truly global. Though I will probably be in less demand, I wanted to move on.