Becoming a leader
is synonymous with becoming yourself.
It is precisely that simple,
and it is also that difficult.
Warren Bennis, known for his work in the field of leadership, died last week. He left behind a large body of stimulating writing and practice in his chosen field. To me he was a restless person with a large sense of humor.
Although I didn’t know him well, my most memorable moment with him came at a 70th birthday party hosted by HBS Professor Jay Lorsch and his wife for Fritz Roethlisberger in 1968 in their modest digs that one could rent in those days from Harvard University. While several of us were talking with Fritz, Warren, who had borrowed a large pair of scissors, walked up and cut off Fritz’s tie, citing an old custom of some kind. Fritz, always gracious, laughed it off and made it a centerpiece of fun during the rest of the party while Warren basked in the notoriety of his deed.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2014/08/06/what-is-warren-benniss-legacy/Bennis wrote prolifically and well. Much of the writing dealt with shortcomings he found in the behavior of leaders practicing in the last half of the twentieth century. Especially in his book On Becoming a Leader, he was critical of the short-sighted, me-oriented nature of too many leaders of that time. He later became more optimistic about the future of leadership behaviors as he continued to set and maintain high standards for the practice. He also put into practice what he preached, advising many well-known leaders in both business and government and serving as president of a large university for a time. In his later years, Bennis served as the editor of an influential series of books, many of which dealt with organizational culture, a matter of interest to him throughout his career.
Stephanie Doty
Discouraging NP Dysfunction
August 6, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
Discouraging NP Dysfunction
August 6, 2014
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
