Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge

Abstract: Though much has been written about leadership, little of it has been of lasting value or significance. This book, however, provides thoughtful insights into the art and science of leadership. In the book, Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus reflect on the demands that are placed on leaders in the present day, and identify the strategies for leading organizations effectively in these complex and turbulent times.

 

About the Author: Warren Bennis, a renowned Professor of Business Administration at the University of Southern California and a consultant for various MNCs and governments around the globe, has authored/co- authored many books on Leadership and Management. Though much has been written about leadership, little of it has been of lasting value or significance. This book, however, provides thoughtful insights into the art and science of leadership. In the book, Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus reflect on the demands that are placed on leaders in the present day, and identify the strategies for leading organizations effectively in these complex and turbulent times.

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Strategy I: Attention through Vision

All the leaders the authors interviewed showed an unparalleled concern with results. They were extremely result-oriented, intense personalities, passionate about their ideas and completely focused on what they were doing. This single - mindedness of purpose drew other people to them, grabbing their attention and inspiring them to adopt the leader's agenda themselves. Effective leaders have what we call vision, or a view of a 'realistic, credible and attractive future for their organization.' The leader need not necessarily come up with the vision - it may well have originated with others. However, effective leaders are always on the alert, all the time interacting with advisors, other leaders, scholars, customers, employees, and a variety of people both inside and outside their organization, searching for viable and credible views of emerging realities. They study the present, to have an idea of the possible futures. This search for vision can well be a systematic and structured process, involving an analysis of the environment, and the development of scenarios. Leadership is transactional in nature. There cannot be a leader without followers. So, in addition to getting the attention of his followers with his vision and his sense of purpose, the leader must in turn pay attention to them, getting them to commit to his vision. This search for commitment requires communication.

Strategy II: Meaning through Communication

Having vision is in itself not enough to lead - the leader must also communicate his vision effectively to his followers. The management of meaning and the mastery of communication are essential for effective leadership. All organizations have shared perceptions of reality and meaning, which facilitate unified coordinated action by its constituents. Leaders articulate and often define these implicit realities and meanings. The manner in which they do so varies widely: through imagery, words, or models. The meaning that leaders communicate is not mere knowledge - the knowledge of facts, methods, or techniques. Knowledge is needed for problem solving.

The meaning we are talking of here is more akin to thinking, and has more to do with problem finding. It involves thinking creatively, challenging conventional wisdom, and enabling the organization's constituents to align their individual direction with organizational goals. The authors call the organizational mechanism through which vision is communicated 'social architecture,' a term somewhat, but not entirely, similar in meaning to 'organizational culture.' The social architecture of an organization provides its members a shared interpretation of events in the organization, thus providing them a guide to appropriate behavior in the organization. It generates a commitment to the vision of the company and also acts as a control mechanism, allowing or disallowing specific behaviors. The leader designs and manages the social architecture of the organization.

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