On Becoming a Leader: The Leadership Classic (Paperback)

Unlike many other leadership books this focuses on character, and the timeless principles that cause true leaders to rise to the top of an organisation. There is no quick fix easy route to succcess here. Prepare to be challenged to the very core of your being!

Bennis holds up a mirror to anyone who would aspire to lead anything, beginning with their own lives.

Finally a qoute from Bennis;

"First and foremost, find out what it is you're about, and be that. Be what you are and don't lose it...It's very hard to be who we are because it doesn't seem to be what anyone wants"

Jason Clark - 25TH November 1998

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.

The author correctly identifies so called leaders who have attained top positons but lack integrity, knowledge of human development, what motivates people and compassion. He calls them "destructive achievers" and pronounces them dangerous.

Bennis has obviously devoted many years of his life to discovering what good leadership is and what it isn't. He notes that "Everyone deplores the alleged lack of leadership in America today" and further states that, "Greed, timidity and lack of vision are rampant among the current crop of psuedoleaders." He is correct in arguing that "Our culture is currrently dominated and shaped by business." He asks us to consider that "those who are skilled at achieveing prominence are not necessarily those who are ready to lead once they arrive."

If we consider all of the violence in America, lack of health care, the working poor, starving children and homeless people how can we deny Bennis when he states that, "Our quality of life depends on the quality of our leaders?" Should not a government, with all of its "leaders" be judged on how well people at the bottom are doing instead of people at the top?

Anyone reading this well written book will understand that American leadership is lacking and that we must develop better leaders if we are to increase our performance throughout the world.

Dr. Norman Jones-author of Performance Management in the 21st Century:Solutions for Business, Education and Family (St. Lucie Press-1999)