14+ Warren Bennis Quotes On Becoming A Leader

Warren Bennis was an American scholar, organizational consultant and author, widely regarded as a pioneer of the contemporary field of Leadership studies. He wrote over 30 books and more than 100 articles on topics such as leadership, change, and group dynamics. He was a professor at the University of Southern California and was a distinguished professor of business administration at the University of California, Los Angeles. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Warren Bennis on leadership, becoming a leader.

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 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. — Warren Bennis

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. — Warren Bennis

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. — Warren Bennis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. — Warren Bennis

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. — Warren Bennis

I wanted the influence. In the end I wasn't very good at being a president. I looked out of the window and thought that the man cutting the lawn actually seemed to have more control over what he was doing. — Warren 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 Bennis

Life Lessons by Warren Bennis

1. Warren Bennis' work emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, adaptability, and collaboration in achieving success.
2. He encourages us to take responsibility for our own development and be willing to take risks in order to reach our goals.
3. He also stresses the importance of learning from failure and using it as an opportunity to grow and improve.