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Warren Bennis
University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Business Administration & Professor of Management and Organization

USC Marshall School of Business
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0808

Phone: 
213-740-0766
warren.bennis@gmail.com
Education: 
PhD, MIT; BA, Antioch College
Personal Website: 
http://www.warrenbennis.com

Overview

Warren Bennis is one of the world's leading experts on leadership. A lecturer, consultant, and writer, Professor Bennis has been an advisor to four U.S. presidents, including John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. He is the author of numerous books, including the classic On Becoming a Leader. He chairs the advisory board of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University Kennedy's School of Government. Professor Bennis is a former Distinguished Research Fellow at Harvard Business School, former president of the University of Cincinnati, as well as the former Provost and Executive Vice-President of SUNY-Buffalo.

Research

Taking MBA Mentorship Seriously • 2013
Does Religion Belong in the B-School Curriculum? • 2013
As Online Learning Grows, the College Campus Lives On • 2012
Trained Incapacity: The Rise of Specialized Mater's Degrees • 2012
Business Leaders on the Silver Screen • 2012
Harvard's Advanced Leadership Initiative • 2012
How Business Schools Can Teach 'Character 101' • 2012
USC Marshall's 'Passport to the World' • 2012
For Business Leaders (and MBAs), Character Counts • 2012
Harvard's Bill George: A Model of 21st Century Leadership • 2012
Authenticity: A Key to Management Education • 2012
Mastering the Context • 2012
Have Business Schools Found Their Way? • 2012
Minding the Gap: Nohria's MBA Reforms at Harvard • 2012
The Invisible B-School Curriculum • 2012
Yes, Your Highness • 2012
A Reflection on Mentors • 2012
My Earliest Experiences in Leadership • 2011
Leader Judgment • 2011
Leadership in Everyday Life • 2011
The Three Obamas • 2011
Earn More Respect without it, you won't lead people • 2011
Rites of Passage-from STILL SURPRISED by Warren Bennis • 2011
Chairman Mac in Perspective (Reprinted) • 2011
"The Man of All Seasons: Sidney Harman" • 2010
Warren Bennis - Professor of Business Administration at USC • 2010
"A Seeker of What Makes Leaders Tick" • 2010
"Field Leadership" • 2010
"Fighting the Bull" • 2010
"Four Questions to Ask of Republicans" • 2010
"The Wrong Returns to Our Roots" • 2010
"Understanding the Stakeholders" • 2010
STILL SURPRISED: A MEMOIR OF A LIFE IN LEADERSHIP • 2010
Warren Bennis Write Your Own Life • 2010
"Deep Pockets to Fire as He Pleases" • 2010
"Our 'shut-eye' Corporate Sentries • 2010
"Size is No Excuse" • 2010
"Create Jobs and Tax the Rich" • 2010
"New Leaders Come From Within" • 2010
"National Inflection Points" • 2010
LEARNING TO LEAD: A WORKBOOK ON BECOMING A LEADER (REVISED & UPDATED-4TH EDITION) • 2010
Comment on "Regaining Lost Relevance" • 2010
"Painfully Simple Failure" • 2010
'Populist Bigotry' • 2010
"Five 'musts' for Leaders" • 2010
Four Leadership Lessons • 2009
Crises Reveal The Quality of Leadership • 2009
Generous Leaders: A Dialogue with Bennis • 2009
Leaders Do the Right Thing: Bennis on Leadership • 2009
Acting the Part of a Leader • 2009
Don't Let Cold Cost-Cutting Endanger the American Model of Higher Education • 2009
Neither Hamlet Nor Bush • 2009
THE ESSENTIAL BENNIS: ESSAYS ON LEADERSHIP • 2009
Response to 'The Fear Factor' • 2009
Real Leadership • 2009
What's Needed Next A Culture of Candor • 2009
Only the Optimists Survive • 2009
The Seven Ages of the Leader • 2009
Another Greatest Generation Is On The Way • 2009
Obama Optimism • 2009
Why Transparency? • 2009
Comment on "Regaining Lost Relevance" • 2009
Korean Edition (2009) of JUDGMENT: HOW WINNIG LEADERS MAKE GREAT CALLS (English 2007) • 2009
THI Edition (2009) of LEARNING TO LEAD (English 2003) by Warren Bennis and Joan Goldsmith. • 2009
The Deadly Hand of Habit • 2008
"Introduction to the Anniversary Edition" of ON BECOMING A LEADER • 2008
ON BECOMING A LEADER • 2008
"Creating A Transparent Culture" • 2008
"Culture of Candor" • 2008
"Everyone Should Learn CPR" • 2008
Culture of Candor • 2008
LEADERS: STRATEGIES FOR TAKING CHARGE • 2008
Making Tough Calls • 2008
Crisis Leadership • 2008
Warren Bennis on "What the Candidates Don't Know" • 2008
The Art of Followership • 2008
Foreword • 2008
"Barack Obama and the case for charisma" • 2008
Judgment Trumps Experience • 2008
REINVENTING LEADERSHIP: STRATEGIES TO EMPOWER THE ORGANIZATION • 2008
Rigor and Relevance • 2008
Leadership-A Learning Experience • 2008
Wise Leaders • 2008
"Jeffrey Immelt's Three-Part Story Line" • 2007
"Judgment Calls: It's make-or-break time" • 2007
Geeks, Geezers, and Crucibles • 2007
Interview: "Geeks, Geezers, and Crucibles" • 2007
"Judgment Trumps Experience" • 2007
"Making the Tough Call" • 2007
Book Excerpt "Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls" • 2007
Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls • 2007
"An Excerpt From: The Challenges of Leadership in The Modern World" • 2007
Leading for a Lifetime: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape Leaders • 2007
Expert Voices/Warren Bennis: Judgment Call • 2007
Interview: "Judgment Call" Warren Bennis with Allan Alter and Eric Chabrow • 2007
"Campaign 2008: The Anatomy Of a Great Leader" • 2007
"Sound Judgment: The Essence of leadership" • 2007
Foreword to Firms of Endearment by Sisodia; Wolfe; Sheth • 2007
Foreword: "Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?" • 2007
On Becoming A Leader • 2007
The Challenges of Leadership in the Modern World • 2007
Why Lead? • 2006
Authentic Leaders • 2006
Crucibles • 2006
The Leader: Leading for the Long Run • 2006
IdeasOutside Shot - Lessons from Larry • 2006
Why Harvard Is So Hard to Lead • 2006
Letter to the Editor - "Firm observations" • 2006
Leaders (Indonesian edition) • 2006
In Search of Peter Drucker • 2006
The Drucker Legacy • 2006
Leading without Fear • 2005
Creativity for the Long Haul • 2005
How Business Schools Lost Their Way • 2005
Speech and Consequence • 2005
Seven Stages of Leadership • 2005
Leadership Can be Taught • 2005
The Heart of a Business Ethic • 2005
The Healer as Leader • 2005
The Power of Passion • 2004
What Do Leaders Know? Three Filters Govern Decision Making • 2004
It's Culture, Stupid. Is it talent friendly • 2004
Courageous Leaders • 2004
Leading Paradox • 2004
Google's Growth Engine • 2004
Owed • 2004
Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader • 2004
Managing the Dream: Reflections on Leadership and Change • 2004
On Becoming a Leader • 2004
Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration • 2004
Leadership is Based on Character • 2004
Share the Power • 2004
Enron et al,: The March of Folly • 2004
Leadership Presence: Dramatic Techniques to Reach Out, Motivate, and Inspire • 2004
Optimism • 2004
The Julius Caesar • 2004
Why Servant-Leadership Matters • 2004
Valuing A Culture of Candour • 2004
News Analysis: It's the Culture • 2003
Create a Culture of Candour • 2003
Flight of the Phoenix: Authentic Leaders Find a Way to Fly • 2003
No Lone Rangers • 2003
Frank Gehry Artist, Leader, and "Neotenic" • 2003
Substance Over Style • 2003
Global Leadership: The Next Generation • 2003
Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge • 2003
Leadership Presence • 2003
The Crucible of Leadership • 2003
The Crucibles of Authentic Leadership • 2003
The Julius Caesar Syndrome • 2003
The Alchemy of Leadership • 2003
Common Ground • 2002
Leadership Crucibles • 2002
Speed Leading • 2002
Crucibles of Leadership • 2002
Culture of Candor • 2002
The Secrets of Great Groups • 2002
Leaders in Transition • 2002
Speed Leading: Do You Have What It Takes? • 2002
A Corporate Fear of Too Much Truth • 2002
Will the Legacy Live On? • 2002
A Farewell to the Old Leadership • 2002
Double Lives: Crafting Your Life of Work & Passion for Untold Success • 2002
Fearing the Truth • 2002
Geeks and Geezers: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape Leaders • 2002
Nobody in Charge: Essays on the Future of Leadership • 2002
Towards a "Truly" Scientific Management: The Concept of Organization Health • 2002
Become a Tomorrow Leader • 2001
The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership • 2001
Leading for a Lifetime: A Preliminary Conceptual Model • 2001
Next Generation Leaders: Project Overview • 2001
Speed Leading: Qualities of Successful Leaders in the Digital Age • 2001
The Future Has No Shelf Life: An Intellectual Memoir • 2001
The Future of Leadership: Today's Top Leadership Thinkers Speak to Tomorrow's Leaders • 2001
The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace • 2001
Leading in the New Millennium • 2001
Corporate Boards • 2001
Leading in Unnerving Times • 2001
Douglas McGregor Revisited • 2000
The Future Has No Shelf Life • 2000
Don't Hire the Wrong CEO • 2000
Defining Moments • 2000
Leaders of Ideas • 2000
Leadership of Change • 2000
Leading Change • 2000
New Leadership • 1999
Recreating the Company • 1999
CEO's Generation Next • 1999
Step Up or Step Down • 1999
Enter the Tender Gender • 1999
Fire Up or Fired Period • 1999
Five Competencies of New Leaders • 1999
How to Be a Great No. 2 • 1999
It's All About Relationships, Stupid • 1999
Leaders of Talent • 1999
Lessons in Leadership • 1999
Scare Tactics • 1999
The End of Leadership: Exemplary Leadership Is Impossible Without Full Inclusion, Initiatives, and Cooperation of Followers • 1999
Wallflowers at the Dance • 1999
Lead with Character • 1999
Managing People is Like Herding Cats: Warren Bennis on Leadership • 1999
Old Dogs, New Tricks • 1999
Just Rewards • 1998
It Ain't What You Know • 1998
The Temporary Society: What is Happening to Business & Family Life in America Under the Impact of Accelerating Change • 1998
Leaders in Transitions • 1998
Four Pioneers Reflect on Leadership • 1998
Speed and Complexity • 1998
Leaders of Meaning • 1998
Quitting on Principle • 1998
Service Groups • 1998
Leading Teams • 1998
Rethinking Leadership • 1998
Results Based Leadership • 1998
Self-Esteem at Work • 1998
Organising Genius • 1997
The End of the Great Man • 1997
Leaders of Leaders • 1997
Cultivating Creative • 1997
Learning Some Basic Truisms About Leadership • 1997
Great Groups • 1997
Managing People is Like Herding Cats • 1997
Becoming a Leader of Leaders • 1997
The Neanderthal In the Corner Office • 1997
Leadership Matters • 1996
The Secrets of Creative Collaboration • 1996
21st Century Organization • 1996
Reinventing Through Engineering: A Methodology for Enterprisewide Transformation • 1996
Retirement Reflections • 1996
The Leadership Crisis • 1996
A Gymnasium for the Mind • 1996
Leadership for Tomorrow • 1996
Co-Leaders: The Power of Great Partnerships • 1996
Distrust Is Fueling Workers' Rage • 1996
The Leader as a Storyteller • 1996
Learning to Lead • 1996
Reinventing Leadership: Strategies to Empower the Organization • 1995
"Reflections on Retirement" • 1995
Critical Thinking • 1995
Leading for Results • 1995
Introducing Change • 1994
Flight Plan For Leaders • 1994
Mind Games • 1994
Beyond Leadership: Balancing Economics, Ethics, and Ecology • 1994
Leadership in New Era: Visionary Approaches to the Biggest Crisis in Our Time • 1994
Shakes and Quakes • 1994
Learning to Lead: A Course on Becoming A Leader • 1994
New Paradigms for Success • 1993
Followership • 1993
Change Agents • 1993
To Pay the Bill, Break Down the Pill • 1993
The Executive's Fat-Free Reading Diet • 1993
An Invented Life • 1993
An Invented Life: Reflections on Leadership and Change • 1993
Beyond Bureaucracy • 1993
Leading Change: From CEO to CTO • 1993
Culture of Courage • 1993
Leadership for the White Knuckle Decade • 1993
Leadership: Doing the Right Thing Versus Doing Things Right • 1993
Paragraph on Education • 1993
Our Federalist Future: The Leadership Imperative • 1992
The Borderless Organization • 1992
A New Wake-Up Call • 1992
Autobiography-Part 2: Bethel, Boston and Sapiential Circles: 1955-1967 • 1992
Large vs. Small • 1992
Is Federation Inevitable? • 1992
On the Leading Edge of Change • 1992
Leaders on Leadership: Interviews with Top Executives • 1992
What I Want U.S. Business To Do in '92 • 1992
Your ACE-Elements of Effective Leadership • 1992
Autobiography-Part 1: An Invented Life: Shoe Polish, Milli Vanilli and Sapiential Circles • 1991
Constructive Dissent Can Be A Powerful Positive Force • 1991
Military Style Management: Autocratic Leaders Now Out of Step • 1991
Interview on Leadership • 1991
Companies with Bounce Carry the Ball • 1991
Creative Leadership • 1991
Leading Followers, Following Leaders • 1991
21st Century Leadership: The Deck has been Reshuffled and a Few Jokers Added • 1991
Future Organizations Need an 'ACE' • 1991
Dealing with the Way Things Are • 1991
Managing Workforce 2000: Gaining the Diversity Advantage • 1991
Managing the Dream: Leadership in the 21st Century • 1991
Perils of Accord, Advantage of Access • 1991
Replacing Pornography with Leadership Virtue • 1990
Change: The New Metaphysics • 1990
Fear or Persuasion • 1990
Search Committee Close to Delivering List of Zumberge Successors • 1990
Untapped Human Capital • 1990
Democracy is Inevitable • 1990
Big Difference Between Managing and Leading • 1990
Meeting Summary, Executive Forum Leadership for the 90's • 1990
Warren Bennis on the Lost Leaders • 1990
Where Have All the Leaders Gone? • 1990
Anatomy of a Search: The First Task in Creating a Clear Job Description • 1990
Managing the Dream-Leadership in the 21st Century • 1990
Effective Leaders Encourage Dissent • 1990
Ex-UC President Speaks Out • 1990
Leading to Make a Difference • 1990
Long Slide from True Leadership • 1990
Bennis Heads Committee of Faculty, Students, Alumnae Searching for Successor to Zumberge • 1990
How to Be the Leader They'll Follow • 1990
Managing the Dream • 1990
Taking Charge • 1990
Using Our Knowledge of Organizational Behavior: The Improbable Task • 1990
No Space for Malathion Cowboys • 1990
Where Are the People Who Can Inspire Us, Who Will Confront Us With The Reality of the Age We Are Living In? • 1990
Followers Make Good Leaders Good • 1989
Four Competencies of Great Leaders • 1989
Leaders Invent Themselves • 1989
The Split Brain at the Top • 1989
Learning by Surprise • 1989
Manager??? Leader??? There is a Big Difference • 1989
Breaking Away • 1989
How Leaders Learn • 1989
Why Leaders Can't Lead • 1989
Leading Through Inspiration • 1989
What Makes a True Leader? • 1989
Inventing Our Leaders • 1988
Where are The Leaders? • 1988
Confessions of a Song-and-Dance Man • 1988
Ethics Aren't Optional • 1988
Making the Difference • 1988
Is Anybody Happy • 1988
Mr. 'Right Stuff' Tricks Search Panel • 1988
The Leader as Hero • 1988
A Matter of Trust • 1988
The Dreamless Society • 1988
Creating Leaders • 1955
Preface to book on Scanlon Plan by Larry Spears