139 Quotes by Warren G. Bennis

Leaders keep their eyes on the horizon, not just on the bottom line.

The leader...is rarely the brightest person in the group. Rather they have extraordinary taste, which makes them more curators than creators. They are appreciators of talent and nurturers of talent and they have the ability to recognize valuable ideas.

People who cannot invent and reinvent themselves must be content with borrowed postures, secondhand ideas, fitting in instead of standing out.

There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish.

Find the appropriate balance of competing claims by various groups of stakeholders. All claims deserve consideration but some claims are more important than others.

The manager has his eye on the bottom line; the leader has his eye on the horizon.

Leaders know the importance of having someone in their lives who will unfailingly and fearlessly tell them the truth.

Create a compelling vision, one that takes people to a new place, and then translate that vision into a reality.

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born-that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.