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Quotes by Warren Bennis

19 Total

Vision animates, inspirits, transforms purpose into action.

Unlike top management at Enron, exemplary leaders reward dissent. They encourage it. They understand that, whatever momentary discomfort they experience as a result of being told they might be wrong, it is more than offset by the fact that the information will help them make better decisions.

Trust resides squarely between faith and doubt.

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

Trust is difficult to define, but we know when it’s present and when it’s not.

The first basic ingredient of leadership is a guiding vision. The leader has a clear idea of what he wants to do – professionally and personally – and the strength to persist in the face of setbacks, even failures.

The first basic ingredient of leadership is a guiding vision. The leader has a clear idea of what he wants to do – professionally and personally – and the strength to persist in the face of setbacks, even failures.

Successful leadership requires positive self-regard fused with optimism about a desired outcome.

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

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

Listening to the inner voice – trusting the inner voice – is one of the most important lessons of leadership.

Leading is Influencing, guiding in direction, course, action, opinion.

Leadership without mutual trust is a contradiction in terms.

Leadership without character is unthinkable – or should be.

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

Leadership is like beauty; it’s hard to define, but you know it when you see it.

Leaders manage the dream. All leaders have the capacity to create a compelling vision, one that takes people to a new place, and then to translate that vision into reality.

Innovation – any new idea – by definition will not be accepted at first. It takes repeated attempts, endless demonstrations, monotonous rehearsals before innovation can be accepted and internalized by an organization. This requires “courageous patience.”

If you think about it, people love others not for who they are, but for how they make us feel. We willingly follow others for much the same reason — it makes us feel good to do so.