Warren Bennis (born March 8, 1925) is an American scholar, organisational consultant and author, widely regarded as a pioneer of the study and teaching of Leadership.
He has imparted huge amounts of insights and wisdom over the years.
I think my favourite Bennis quote is this:
“If there is one generalisation we can make about leadership and change, it is this: no change can occur without willing and committed followers”.
Many leaders forget that leadership is all about people – winning their respect, commitment and willingness to be led, to be those committed followers. Leadership requires relationships to be built with staff – relationships built on trust, openness, honesty and mutual respect.
And we wonder why so many change programs fail to meet their lofty objectives!
Forget this quote at your peril.
