Rating: 
Summary: Contains good bits, worth reading
Review: There's quite a bit of wisdom in this book and it absolutely deserves reading. However, there are a couple of things that I didn't like, first, a liberal (pun intended) sprinkling of political verbiage and general attitude, plus a somewhat tendentious selection of "heroes" (Gloria Steinham, etc.), and second, the overall style is oh so refined and elevated, reminiscent of French "intellos", though of course never quite reaching the pinnacle of nonsensical ponderosity so typical of the original. Too many quotes adding nothing to the text, "as such and such says blah blah" twice per page, just to mention some name. Who cares... I wish I could give it five stars, but I can't because of too much liberal academia cackling all over. Some day the place will fall apart and it'll be partly because of noosphere pollution by politically beholden scribblers from both the left and the right, plague on both your houses. But overall the book contains enough good stuff, so disregard a laudatory blurb from Al "Cardboard Man" Gore prominently displayed on the front cover, suspend your judgement and read it, it'll be worthwhile, I think. I liked many places in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for anyone who "thinks" they are a leader
Review: This book wasn't about the 10 things to do to become a leader - it was much more! It was about the importance of self-realization, the importance of people, and the varied ways a leader can come to light. Highly recommended for every business manager. The material is a bit dated, but it don't let it impact the message.
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.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Political
Review: Warren Bennis' "On Becoming A Leader" was one of the worst and most disappointing leadership books I ever read. I like to experiment with different authors and books about management and leadership. My readings include, but are not limited to, the works of William J. Bennett, Ken Blanchard, James Collins, Dr. Stephen R. Covey, H.W. Crocker, W. Edwards Deming, Viktor Frankl, Lou Holtz, Dr. Spencer Johnson, General John A. LeJeune (USMC), Vince Lombardi, Miyamoto Musashi, William Oncken, General George Patton (USA), Rick Pitino, Steven Pressfield, Wess Roberts, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, Robert Schuller, Hyrum Smith, Major General Perry Smith (USAF), Sun Tzu, and John Wooden. This book does not make my listing of the top 50 leadership, management, or character refinement books I read. Besides never having read any of Bennis' books before, I was attracted to "On Becoming A Leader" by the front cover's announcement, "The Leadership Classic Recommended by Vice President Al Gore to All His Advisors." Unfortunately, I believe Mr. Gore's recommendation was largely based on Bennis' obvious political leanings that permeated the book. The political overtones were distracting and definitely detracted from Bennis' credibility in presenting his ideas. While I found certain sections of the book interesting, overall the book failed to inspire me to think introspectively about leadership like the works of the authors listed above.
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