The Life and Leadership of Warren Gamaliel Bennis

The Life and Leadership of

Warren Gamaliel Bennis

In 2007, BusinessWeek called him “one of ten business school

professors who have had the greatest influence on business thinking.”

The Financial Times recently named his classic book Leaders

one of the top 50 books of all time

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH1925

Warren Gamaliel Bennis was born in New York Cityto Jewish parents

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

1944Bennis joined U.S. Army & fought in the European Theatre

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

1944Bennis joined U.S. Army & fought in the European Theatre

“I was the rawest 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, a 19-yr-old shave-tail trying to keep my platoon (and myself) alive as we pursued the retreating enemy into Germany.”

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH – 1947

Bennis left the U.S. Army Entered Antioch College on the G.I. Bill

Majored in Business

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHCollege Educational Co-operative

“The head of the chemical company was a deeply religious man who lived his faith. He took a liking to me and even invited me to go to church with him several times. My guess is that he hoped I would be inspired by his example and take the Lord as my personal savior. In Europe I had been in many of the great cathedrals, so I was comfortable in church and stood and sang and respectfully lowered my head whenever he did. But I had no spiritual awakening.”

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH–1951

Married his 1st wife – Lucille Rose

Graduated from Antioch College

Went to Graduate School at M.I.T.

Majored in Economics & Social Science

1/3 of his graduate program was at Harvard


Bennis And His Wife Divorce


Bennis And His Wife Divorce

“Lucille and I didn’t fight, didn’t yell. We cried a little, but mostly we stood by doing nothing as our marriage unraveled. When I flew to London in the fall of 1952, she stayed behind. The divorce followed in due time.”

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

“For reasons I still can’t sort out (the pressure of graduate school was no doubt one), I experienced terrible anxiety that year in London. It hit me suddenly. I was in a butcher shop one day and ran out when the butcher picked up a cleaver and slammed it down on a piece of meat. I couldn’t bear to be alone. I would lie awake, unable to fall asleep until four in the morning. I went to see the film A Place in the Sun, and my heart began to pound so hard that I walked out halfway through. I began having a recurrent dream. . . . It was horrifying…”

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

1955Earned the PhD from M.I.T.

1955-56Taught at M.I.T. for the academic year

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

1956 -1959Taught at Boston University

1959Returned to teach at M.I.T.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH1961-62

Taught in Switzerland at IMEDE International Management Development Institute

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH - 1962

Married 2nd wife – Clurie Williams

Harvard Business School offered him a faculty position with tenure

Bennis turned Harvard down to return to teach at M.I.T.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

1964Birth of 1st child – Kate

1964-1965Co-director Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, India

1965-1967M.I.T. Department Chair


Birth of 2nd Child – John

1967Provost of Social Sciences

State University of New York in Buffalo

1968Birth of 3rd Child – Will


Exec. V.P. of State University of New York Height of Vietnam anti-war protests


Resigned University of New York in public protest of use of riot police on the campus


Interviewed For University Presidencies:

Northwestern University

State University of New York

Boston University


President of University of Cincinnati


Resigned from University of Cincinnati

1977-1979Spent 2 yrs. deciding what to do with life

1979Had a major heart attack at age 53 while in London

He and his 2nd wife Clurie divorce

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHConcerning His 2nd Divorce Bennis Says:

“We had unraveled for many reasons. At Buffalo and Cincinnati I stole time from my family in my drive to transform those universities. There were cultural pressures as well. . . . . And as much as I knew I would miss my children desperately and Clurie as well, I was drawn to Northern California, lured by both its first-rate academic institutions and the liberating counterculture that had been born there in the 1960’s.”


For “Northern California (with) its first-rate academic institutions and the liberating counterculture that had been

born there in the 1960’s”…




Bennis left his 2nd wife




Bennis left his 2nd wifeAn 11 year old son




Bennis left his 2nd wifeAn 11 year old sonA 13 year old son




Bennis left his 2nd wifeAn 11 year old sonA 13 year old son

A 15 year old daughter


Moved to Sausalito, CaliforniaLived on a houseboat still deciding what to do with his life

Now 54 years old

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH1979–80

Became A Zen Buddhist

“Alan Watts, a former Anglican priest who was turning the country on to Zen Buddhism just as he had the Beat poets, lived two gates over. I would sometimes see Watts in one of his kimonos, which he preferred to Western dress. I soon began attending his Thursday-night lectures on Zen, science, sexuality, and alternative ways of being…”

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH1979 -1980

Hired To Analyze Werner Erhard’s EST Seminars


Hired To Analyze Werner Erhard’s EST Seminars

According to Erhard: EST is similar to Scientology:Scientology focuses on “Survival”

EST focuses on “Wholeness”


“Expanding one’s consciousness was the rage in Northern California, and I tried just about every New Age-y, counterculture thing that came along. Will Schutz’s ex-wife introduced me to channeling. An astrologer came to the houseboat and did my chart. Surely a nutritionist attempted to align my diet with my chakras…”


Began teaching at USC at age 55Still teaches there today at age 86

1980 – 2010Has authored or co-authored 23 of his 30 books


Married Dr. Grace Gabe – Jewish ceremony

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHBennis Remains A Practicing Buddhist

“Trudy Goodman is another source of health in my everyday life. She is my Buddhist teacher. A wise woman, Trudy comes to the house once a week, where we meditate and talk about the things that matter most at this time in my life. I can discuss things with Trudy that would only worry friends and family. She has a way of placing fears &other emotions into a timeless, spiritual context that always puts me at ease.”

SUMMARY OF BENNIS’ RESEARCH, WRITINGS, AND THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP


Bennis Is Widely Regarded As A Leadership Guru



He has authored 30 books & countless articles on leadership



He has authored 30 books & countless articles on leadership

He has taught leadership for almost 6 decades


In 2007, BusinessWeek called him “one of ten business school

professors who have had the greatest influence on business thinking.”


The Financial Times recently named his classic book Leaders

one of the top 50 books of all time


Some of Bennis’ Major Leadership Theories


Theory 1 – Every Great Leader Has 4 Basic Qualities



1st – Managing other people’s attention




2nd – Managing meaning by communicating well





3rd – Managing others’ trust





3rd – Managing others’ trust

4th – Accurate Self-knowledge of strengths & weaknesses


Theory 1 – Every Great Leader Also Has 7 Characteristics Of Effective Performance



1. Business Literacy



1. Business Literacy2. People Skills



1. Business Literacy2. People Skills3. Conceptual Skills



1. Business Literacy2. People Skills3. Conceptual Skills4. Track Record



1. Business Literacy2. People Skills3. Conceptual Skills4. Track Record 5. Taste



1. Business Literacy2. People Skills3. Conceptual Skills4. Track Record 5. Taste6. Judgment



1. Business Literacy2. People Skills3. Conceptual Skills4. Track Record 5. Taste6. Judgment 7. Character


Theory 2 – Life’s “Crucibles” Make Great Leaders


Theory 2 – Life’s “Crucibles” Make Great LeadersGreat Leaders Are NOT Born



Great Leaders Are Forged & Shaped:



Great Leaders Are Forged & Shaped: - Thru Life experiences



Great Leaders Are Forged & Shaped: - Thru Life experiences - Thru what they learn from them


Theory 3 – Leaders Aren’t Intrinsically Transcendent



“Historians tend to write about great leaders as if they possessed transcendent genius, as if they were capable of creating their visions and sense of destiny out of some mysterious resource. Perhaps some do, but upon closer examination it usually turns out that the vision did not originate with the leader personally but rather from others…”



Bennis puts leaders on a level playing field




Does not deny that some are more gifted




Does not deny that some are more gifted

Denies that leadership is the exclusive possession of the intrinsically “great.”


Theory 4 – Leaders Must Earn Their Followers’ Respect



Bennis credits learning this to the U.S. Army



Bennis credits learning this to the U.S. Army“Our instructors at Fort Benning, charged with the unenviable task of turning raw material into officers, had tried to warn us how important it was to prove ourselves to those we led. It was one of countless ways they tried, at record speed, to create officers who inspired trust and, thus, might stay alive long enough to win the war. You can’t command respect, they warned us: “Don’t flaunt those gold bars. You have to earn them….”


Theory 5 – The Necessity of Voluntary Enrollment



“Voluntary enrollment” is necessary for effective leadership



What enables leaders to cause people to want to follow?



What enables leaders to cause people to want to follow? 1. Strong Vision



What enables leaders to cause people to want to follow? 1. Strong Vision 2. Optimism


Theory 5 – The Necessity of Voluntary Enrollment“Leaders keep their eyes on the horizon, not just the bottom line.”


Theory 5 – The Necessity of Voluntary Enrollment“Leaders keep their eyes on the horizon, not just the bottom line.”

“Leaders encourage organizations to dance to music forms yet to be heard.”



“True leaders have an uncanny way of enrolling people in their vision through their optimism – sometimes unwarranted optimism. For them the glass is not half-full, it’s brimming. They believe – all of the exemplary leaders that we have studied – that they can change the world, or at the very least, put a dent in the universe. They’re all purveyors of hope. Confucius said that leaders are ‘dealers in hope.’”


Theory 6 – The Necessity of Transparency


Theory 6 – The Necessity of Transparency

“When we speak of “transparency,” we mean much more than the standard business definition of the term—full disclosure of financial information to investors….Because no organization can be honest with the public if it’s not honest with itself, we define transparency broadly, as the degree to which information flows freely within an organization, among managers and employees, and outward to stakeholders .”


Theory 7– Rejects Contingency Theories of Leadership



Bennis Rejects Theories Of Leadership That:




Assert that leaders choose leadership style based on the situation




Assert that leaders a choose leadership style based on the situation

Assert that situations call for leaders with a particular leadership style



In this regard, Bennis is in agreement with:




John Kotter




John Kotter

Rensis Likert




John Kotter

Rensis Likert

Abraham Zaleznik




John Kotter

Rensis Likert

Abraham Zaleznik

Doug McGregor



Bennis: All leaders basically need to do the same things




Bennis Differentiates:




Bennis Differentiates: Essential qualities of good leaders




Bennis Differentiates: Essential qualities of good leaders

Essential qualities of good managers




Bennis Differentiates between: Essential qualities of good leaders


“Leaders are people who do the right thing.




Bennis Differentiates between: Essential qualities of good leaders


“Leaders are people who do the right thing.Managers are people who do the thing right.”

BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF BENNIS’ LEADERSHIP

THEORY AND ITS APPLICABILITY IN MINISTRY SETTINGS

BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF BENNIS’ LEADERSHIP THEORY AND ITS APPLICABILITY IN MINISTRY

SETTINGS

We Cannot Overlook Bennis’ Worldview


SETTINGS


He is a Buddhist Pantheist


SETTINGS


He is a Buddhist Pantheist He is a Secular Humanist


SETTINGS


He is a Buddhist Pantheist He is a Secular HumanistHe is a Leftist


SETTINGS


He is a Buddhist Pantheist He is a Secular HumanistHe is a LeftistHe embraces a subjective view of morality


SETTINGS


He is a Buddhist Pantheist He is a Secular HumanistHe is a LeftistHe embraces a subjective view of morality He embraces and practices hedonism


SETTINGS

Does Bennis’ worldview mean that we, as Christian leaders, cannot learn from him?


SETTINGS

We can learn a lot from Bennis’ Leadership Theories if:


SETTINGS


We carefully evaluate his theories before adopting them


SETTINGS


We carefully evaluate his theories before adopting them

We distinguish between Bennis’ theory and practice


SETTINGS

Most of Bennis’ major theoretical ideas on leadership are redeemable for use in Christian leadership


SETTINGS

Bennis’ Theoretical Leadership Qualities Are Biblical Sound


SETTINGS


Holding people’s attention


SETTINGS



Good communication


SETTINGS



Good communication

Earning and keeping trust on the part of those we lead


SETTINGS



Good communication


Having vision and holding forth hope to those we lead


SETTINGS



Good communication



Accurate self-awareness of strengths & weaknesses


SETTINGS



Good communication



Accurate self-awareness of strengths & weaknesses

Need for transparency on the part of the leader


SETTINGS

Bennis’ position that, for the most part, great leaders are ordinary people who are forged through unique

circumstances is very consistent with Scripture


SETTINGS

What Is The Problem With Bennis And Leadership?


SETTINGS


Bennis Does Not Seek To Apply What He Claims To Believe


SETTINGS



Bennis advocates earning and keeping the trust of those they lead as an absolute necessity of leadership


SETTINGS



Bennis advocates earning and keeping the trust of those they lead as an absolute necessity of leadership

His autobiography reveals an unbelievable disconnect between his theory and practice


SETTINGS



SETTINGS


He sacrificed both of his first 2 marriages for his career


SETTINGS


He sacrificed both of his first 2 marriages for his career

Bennis abandoned his 2nd wife and 3 young children for Northern California’s “first-rate academic institutions and the

liberating counterculture that had been born there in the 1960’s”


SETTINGS

Bennis Does Not Seek To Apply What He Claims To Believe:


SETTINGS

Bennis Does Not Seek To Apply What He Claims To Believe:

Yet he writes: ???????


SETTINGS

In terms of Biblical Leadership:


SETTINGS

In terms of Biblical Leadership:

Leadership failure at the micro level disqualifies a leader for leadership at the macro level


SETTINGS

How do we Biblically and Theologically Evaluate Bennis’ idea that “Optimism” is

an essential mark of leadership?


SETTINGS

Is “optimism” always the mark of leadership?


SETTINGS

In Scripture, were God’s Prophets leaders?


SETTINGS

Did “optimism” always mark God’s prophets?


SETTINGS


At times the prophets brought optimism and hope


SETTINGS



At times the prophets were heralds of judgment


SETTINGS



At times the prophets were the heralds of judgment

Often purveyors of optimism were false prophets


SETTINGS

Compare in I Kings 22


SETTINGS

Compare in I Kings 22The “optimism” of the false prophet Zedekiah


SETTINGS


AND


SETTINGS


AND

The “pessimism” of God’s prophet Micaiah


SETTINGS

At Times, “Optimism” IS A Mark Of Biblical Leadership


SETTINGS

At times, “Optimism” IS A Mark Of Biblical Leadership

At Times “Optimism” IS NOT A Mark Of Biblical Leadership


SETTINGS

At times, “Optimism” IS A Mark Of Biblical Leadership

At Times “Optimism” IS NOT A Mark Of Biblical Leadership

“Optimism” Is NOT An ESSENTIAL Mark Of Biblical Leadership


SETTINGS

When Is “Optimism” NOT A Mark Of Biblical Leadership?


SETTINGS


Hmmmmmm…


SETTINGS



SETTINGS

I Didn’t Really Say That ____

I Just Thought It Out Loud


SETTINGS



SETTINGS


“Optimism” and “Hope” for the the unrepentant


SETTINGS

When Is Optimism NOT A Mark Of Biblical Leadership?

“Optimism” and “Hope” for the unrepentant

“Optimism” and “Hope” that leads people to hope in hope


SETTINGS


“Optimism” and “Hope” for the future of the unrepentant


“Optimism” and “Hope” not grounded in the Person of Christ


SETTINGS





“Optimism” and “Hope” not grounded in the Work of Christ


SETTINGS





“Optimism” and “Hope” not grounded in the Work of Christ

“Optimism” and “Hope” not grounded in personal trust in Christ


SETTINGS

When IS Optimism A Mark Of Biblical Leadership?


SETTINGS


“Optimism” and “Hope” that is rooted in a firm conviction of the power of the Gospel to change the lives of broken people, including the leader


SETTINGS


“Optimism” and “Hope” that is rooted in a firm conviction of the power of the Gospel to change the lives of broken people, including the leader

“Optimism” & “Hope” in the triumph of the Gospel


SETTINGS


“Optimism” and “Hope” rooted in a firm conviction of the power of the Gospel to change the lives of broken people, including the leader

“Optimism” & “Hope” in the triumph of the Gospel

“Optimism” & “Hope” in the power of God’s Word


SETTINGS

“Optimism” may or may not mark the Biblical Leader


SETTINGS


What does mark the Biblical Leader is:


SETTINGS



Faithfulness To God


SETTINGS



Faithfulness To God

Faithfulness To His Word

MAJOR WORKS OF WARREN BENNIS


Bennis, Warren, and Patricia Ward Biederman. Still Surprised: A Memoir Of A Life In Leadership. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey- Bass, 2010.———. Organizing Genius: The Secrets Of Creative Collaboration. New York, N.Y.: Perseus, 1997.———. The Essential Bennis: Essays On Leadership. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass, 2009.Bennis, Warren, Kenneth D. Benne, and Robert Chin. The Planning of Change. New York, N.Y.:

Bennis, Warren, and Joan Goldsmith. Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader. New York, N.Y.: Basic books, 2010.Bennis, Warren, Daniel Goleman, James Outsole, and Patricia

Ward Biederman. Transparency: How Leaders Create A Culture Of Candor. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass, 2008. Bennis, Warren, and Michael Mische. The 21st Century Organization: Reinventing Through Reengineering. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass, 1995.



Bennis,Warren, and Burt Nanus. Leaders: Strategies For Taking Charge. New York, N.Y.: Harper Collins, 1985, 1997.Bennis, Warren, Jagdish Parikh, and Ronnie Lessem. Beyond Leadership: Balancing Economics, Ethics and Ecology. Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell, 1994.Bennis, Warren, and Philip E. Slater. The Temporary Society: What is Happening to Business and Family Life in America Under the Impact of Accelerating Change. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass, 1998.


Bennis, Warren, and Robert J. Thomas. Geeks and Geezers. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Business Review Press, 2002.———. Leading For A Lifetime: How Defining Moments Shape Leaders Of Today And Tomorrow. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Business Review Press, 2007.Bennis, Warren, and Robert Townsend. Reinventing Leadership: Strategies to Empower the Organization. New York, N.Y.: William Morrow, 1995.Bennis, Warren, John Van Maanen, Edgar H. Schein, and Fred I. Steele. Essays in Interpersonal Dynamics. Belmont, Calif.: Dorsey Press, 1979.


Bennis, Warren. An Invented Life: Reflections On Leadership And Change. New York, N.Y.: Perseus, 1994.———. Beyond Bureaucracy: Essays on the Development and

Evolution of Human Organization. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass, 1993.———. Leaning Ivory Tower. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass. 1974.———. On Becoming A Leader: The Leadership Classic. Philadelphia, Pa.: Basic Books, 2009.———. Managing People Is Like Herding Cats. Provo, Utah: Executive Excellence Publishing, 1999.


———. Managing the Dream: Reflections on Leadership and Change. New York, N.Y.: Perseus, 2000.———. Why Leaders Can’t Lead: The Unconscious Conspiracy Continues. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey- Bass, 1989.Heenan, David A, and Warren Bennis. Co-Leaders: The Power

Of Great Partnerships. New York, N.Y.: John Wiley, 1999.Heil, Gary, Warren Bennis, and Deborah C. Stephens. Douglas

McGregor, Revisited: Managing the Human Side of the Enterprise. New York, N.Y.: John Wiley, 2000.


Mitroff, Ian, and Warren Bennis. The Unreality Industry: The Deliberate Manufacturing of Falsehood and What It Is Doing to Our Lives. New York, N.Y.: Oxford, 1989.

Tichy, Noel M, and Warren Bennis. Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls. New York, N.Y.: Penguin, 2007.

THE END

The Life and Leadership of Warren Gamaliel Bennis

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