leaders Quotes

“A promising junior executive of IBM was involved in a risky venture for the company and managed to lose over $10 million in the gamble. It was a disaster. When Watson called the nervous executive into his office, the young man blurted out, 'I guess you want my resignation?' Watson said, 'You can't be serious. We've just spent $10 million educating you!”
― Warren G. Bennis, Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge

“leadership that knows what it wants, communicates those intentions, positions itself correctly, and empowers its workforce.”
― Warren G. Bennis, Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge

“Our favorite example of meaning comes from a “Peanuts” cartoon strip. Lucy asks Schroeder—Schroeder playing the piano, of course, and ignoring Lucy—if he knows what love is. Schroeder stands at attention and intones, “Love: a noun, referring to a deep, intense, ineffable feeling toward another person or persons.” He then sits down and returns to his piano. The last caption shows Lucy looking off in the distance, balefully saying, “On paper, he’s great.” Most mission statements suffer that same fate: On paper, they’re great.”
― Warren G. Bennis, Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge