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Still Surprised

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Still Surprised

A Memoir of a Life in Leadership

Jossey-Bass,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Text available

What's inside?

From the trenches of World War II to the halls of academia: Leadership lessons from Warren Bennis

Editorial Rating

6

Qualities

  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

In this fascinating memoir, celebrated leadership guru Warren Bennis looks back on what he learned fighting in the US Army during World War II, studying at Antioch College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), experiencing psychotherapy, and working as a leader in academia throughout his eventful life. Bennis discusses the traits he discovered among successful leaders, including empathy, respect for others, and the ability to listen and to adapt. He explores the transformational “crucibles” he went through to become a leader and a leadership expert. getAbstract believes aspiring and current leaders in business, academia, the military and politics can learn from Bennis’s insights, experiences and observations about leadership.

Summary

Going to War

Warren Bennis (born in 1925) had graduated from Dorsey High School in Los Angeles and was approaching his 18th birthday when he enlisted in the US Army’s Specialized Training Program. After a year in the military, he applied for Officer Candidate School (OCS). The regime at Fort Benning – 17 weeks of training in weapons, tactics, physical fitness, communications and leadership – was the best education he ever received.

Even now, Bennis is not sure why he volunteered for OCS. Nothing in his life had hinted at his fascination with leadership. Just as an actor puts on a costume and assumes a character, Bennis became an officer when he donned his military uniform. In December 1944, fighting as a member of the Army’s 63rd Infantry Division, Bennis was one of the youngest US officers on the European battlefield. He learned a leadership lesson the first night he met the men he would command. The soldiers slept on the floor, but Bennis’s aide-de-camp found a bench whereon he could sleep. According to Bennis, “At that moment, I made my first important leadership decision. I chose to put my sleeping bag on the floor beside my men.” The decision paid off when one...

About the Authors

Warren Bennis teaches at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. He has collaborated with journalist Patricia Ward Biederman on several leadership books.

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