Читать книгу The Art and Adventure of Leadership - Rob Asghar - Страница 5

Warren Bennis and Steve Sample argued passionately for years that leadership is an art, not a science. Having studied and practiced leadership at the highest levels, they concluded that there were no surefire formulas, no one-size-fits-all approaches that could be dispensed to aspiring leaders.

As Warren wrote years ago, “The process of becoming a leader is…similar to becoming a fully integrated human being.” He and Steve believed that leaders develop through their life experiences and emerge ever stronger – ready and equipped to take on the true responsibilities of leadership.

It's as simple as that. And as wonderfully mysterious as that. Warren and Steve likened this process to an adventure, one that involves unique twists, unexpected turns, and personal “crucible moments” that forge each person who sets out on the journey.

Fittingly, “The Art and Adventure of Leadership” is the title of a course they co-taught at the University of Southern California each spring for 15 years. It was the most sought-after course at the university. Only the most outstanding students with demonstrated leadership potential could hope to get a seat in this extraordinary class of learning from two masters who offered their wisdom of more than 100 years of leading.

Warren invited me several times to be a guest speaker for the course. By far the most significant was in April 2014, the next-to-last class Warren ever taught. Can you imagine teaching a full course at age 89? That was Warren, although beset with bodily ills, as sharp and wise as ever mentally. Though his speech was halting, the students watched with rapt attention as Warren interviewed me about leadership.

Each of us who knew Warren – students, leaders, and faculty alike – gained enormously from his wisdom and insights. Unlike some scholars who hoard their ideas, Warren genuinely wanted all of us to take his ideas, expand on them, and live them. He was indeed, as I said at his memorial service, a generous friend.

Warren's influence on business leaders had been widespread and profound for decades. So many executives who never had the privilege of knowing him were inspired by his writings and adopted his approach to leadership. Countless chief executive officers have told me personally what a profound influence he had on their leadership. For that, he is properly remembered as “the father of leadership.”

Steve, for his part, was a master practitioner of the leadership trade. He was revered in higher-education circles for pushing the State University of New York at Buffalo into the limelight, and then for guiding USC into the academic big leagues. He, too, carried his gifts into the classroom and shared them generously. The students who participated in this remarkable course were not only given a great gift but also given a lifetime opportunity to share that gift with others.

Long before I met Warren, I read his classic On Becoming a Leader just as I was joining Medtronic. Finally, I had found a philosophy of leadership I could resonate with. As Warren wrote: “The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.” Throughout my years at Medtronic and at Harvard, I have carried that belief into my work and my teaching.

I met Warren in the late 1990s, and he was a loyal friend and mentor to the very end – always available with encouragement and a helping hand. As executive editor for my four books in the Warren Bennis Books Series, Warren generously shared his time and his insights. When I was writing True North, coauthor Peter Sims and I spent an entire week with Warren in Santa Monica going over all the key ideas for the book. He had an enormous impact on the lives of so many people in just the same way – always with kindness, insight, and warm generosity.

Throughout his career, Warren was motivated by a deeply human, democratic view of how organizations should function. In his final years, he grappled with both the promise and the pitfalls of democracy when democratic springs were struggling to blossom around the world. Thankfully, in this book he is able to leave us with some profound insights into what makes a functional, healthy democracy worth fighting for in our organizations and our societies.

Although Warren passed away last summer, his legacy remains as strong as ever: With this new book, he and Steve have made the art and adventure of leadership accessible to new generations. Only 600 students over 15 years were fortunate enough to engage with them each week, as they discussed the biggest issues and thorniest questions of our time involving leadership, ethics, success, and legacies. Now through this remarkable book all of us have the opportunity to gain from their combined wisdom. It is indeed an enduring gift to the rest of us – and a tribute to their generosity.

– Bill George