On Becoming a Leader

Many leadership books talk about the characteristics of great leadership but few give us a glimpse into how leaders become who they are. Bennis, who I believe is the finest writer of leadership of our time, draws from his vast experience as a leader and as a mentor to other leaders and peeks into the process of learning and discovery that results in great leadership. Equally as importantly, he puts a human face on leaders to show that they too have fear, anxiety, and self-uncertainty just like the rest of us. It is not the absence of these things that make them great, but their equanimity in the face of them.

It put emphasis that you cant learn leadership just by reading, it is mainly practicing it, which is what I'm lacking at the moment, and it helped me realize that, that I need to put theory to practice. Book will give you a lot of real-world examples, sadly sometimes you are lost about what should you learn from it until the very end of the story. He listed all masteries or abilities that a perfect leader should possess and again with examples and told you how to get better.
Overall enjoyable reading and will come back to some text in the future.

This book has been written in 1989 and in spite of the effort of rejuvenation acted in the introduction and epilogue (written in 2009), it sounds a bit outdated (and the updates are not on core contents but on historical / political changes). I was also a little disappointed by the general tone, which is not so much aimed at organizations. The book is, more generally, an overview on the idea of leadership in the XX century. One nice feature is the use of interviews and quotations from very diverse people.

A very good book on leadership. One of those books where you want to breeze through it, but it is full of great thought provoking ideas and statements. I found I would frequently read a paragraph, set it down, get swept away in thought for about 10 minutes and then return to it. A good book to read, and one I feel I will want/have to re-read in the future.

Warren Bennis's formative years, in the 1930s and '40s, were characterized by severe economic hardship and a world war that showcased the extreme depths and heights to which leaders could drive their followers. Today's environment is similarly chaotic, turbulent, and uncertain. On Becoming a Leader has served for nearly fifteen years as a beacon of insight, delving into the qualities that define leadership, the people who exemplify it, and the strategies that anyone can apply to become an effective leader. This new edition features a provocative introduction on the challenges and opportunities facing leaders today, with additional updates and current references throughout.

Leadership always looks like easy, especially for those charismatic types. This book demonstrates that there’s more to leadership than being extrovert. It provides a complete picture on what makes a good leader and the leader’s responsibility to grow future leaders (and managers).

http://smartlemming.com/2009/05/flatten-your-learning-curve-read-the-classic-bus...

Good information. Very similar to Covey but less verbose. If you are looking to get a little guidance in becoming a leader I suggest it as a necessary read.