ON BECOMING A LEADER

Rating:
Summary: This is an excellent study of leadership.
Review: Charles SmithSubmitted 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.

Rating:
Summary: Some stories about leaders and leadership.
Review: I have to agree with most of the other reviewers in saying this was a so-so book on leadership. Bennis tells a lot of stories about theories and tries to interweave leadership principles into these stories. Perhaps I was looking too closely for some sort of theory and what I got was a lot of common sense to support the stories told. For example, treat people the way you want to be treated, let people try things and even if they make mistakes, it benefits the organization. I would hope most people would think these are common sense type suggestions.

As other people reported, Bennis takes a lot of stories about the entertainment industry, feminist organizations, etc, and one wonders how strong these organization leadership abilities are. Industry, military, and political organizations are perhaps better organizations to describe for leadership principles.

An average read for those interested in management.

Rating:
Summary: Helpful direction for leaders
Review: I picked up Bennis' classic for my management/leadership library several months ago and I've already read it, highlighted it, and written notes in it twice!

Bennis' research and interviews with several leaders he selected from various industries provides some very insightful advice to leaders of all levels. The direction from this book will not steer you wrong. The information presented seems common sense, but when all told, if the direction given were followed, we'd have better leaders in place than we do now.

I can truthfully say that this book has inspired me to be a better leader. If you have some guts, take a chance and pick this book up and evaluate yourself. If you don't gain some insight into yourself as a leader, you're probably missing the boat somewhere along the line.

The book is easy to read, and you'll finish it rather quickly the first time through. Do yourself a favor though, pause and reflect after each chapter. The information provided compells you to do some reflecting.

This book will remain on my top 10 reading list for some time to come!

Rating:
Summary: Must reading for leaders who need to share their vision
Review: I'm not sure that reading this book will make anyone a better leader, but it sure couldn't hurt! The author does a marvelous job of communicating the essence of leadership and the qualities that make effective leaders. The short stories, examples, and quotes in this book make it enjoyable reading. If you're looking for a "10 things you must do to be a great manager" type of book, this book is NOT for you. If, however, you're interested in management through a shared vision, you'll definitely want to read this book. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me - [e-mail].

Rating:
Summary: More about fulfillment than leadership
Review: This is a book that uses anecdotes and copious quotations from famous people to tell us to be ourselves, express ourselves, and learn to live with integrity. Although it pretends to be a book about leadership, it is not. For example, it claims that Lincoln was a good leader, while Hitler was a bad leader. No matter how horrific and evil Hitler may have been, he was one of the greatest leaders of all time. To say that he was a poor leader is to deny reality. The first quarter of the book rants about how the world has lost all its great leaders. That is why it is in such a mess, and if only we could go back to the good old days... What good old days! He claims that we don't have any Kennedys or Lincolns, but he fails to mention that we don't have any Hitlers or Stalins either. Is the world really as bad as Bennis claims? Sure there are problems but overall I think we are a lot better off than we were. He talks about all the scandals in politics and business that show how we have lost our morals and ethics. Au contraire! The truth is that we live in a world where scandal can be laid bare rather than covered up. You don't think politicians were crooked 100 or 1000 years ago? You don't think that clergy were abusing children 100 or 1000 years ago? I think we live in a pretty good world and Bennis' polemic about the lack of leadership in the world is misplaced at best. After all that, Bennis says "the ingredients of leadership cannot be taught." (p.73) If that is so, why does he expect anyone to read this book?

On the positive side, I did like the parts of the book that dealt with the importance of taking control of your life and following your dreams. If you want an easy to read motivational book, this one isn't bad. If you want to learn how to be a leader, look elsewhere.