First, the good: This book lives up to the cover’s hype. Its ten chapters take a deep look at the character of everyday leaders. What’s true in 1989 remains true in 2009, at the time of the text’s republishing, and it remains true in 2026, at the time of my writing. The word “classic” is not hyperbole. Warren Bennis provides a script and a set of principles to build everyday leaders. A clinical psychologist by training and a leadership professor by career, he offers deep thoughts that few others can parallel. His erudition evidences itself in the breadth of individuals that he identified with the character of a leader.
The bad: The new introduction and epilogue focused almost exclusively on then-recent national politics, not on leadership qualities. Obviously, these bookends date the updated edition, much more than the original did. Also, it gives the book a partisan flavor that honestly denigrates the strength of the text. Editors should have instead helped Bennis find more timelessness about leadership concepts between 1989 and 2009.
Overall, this book is still worth reading, 37 years after publication. The subtitle “the leadership classic” certainly still applies. Quality leadership books are worth studying despite any age; why else do we still study ancients like Julius Caesar? Similarly, Bennis’ words still deserve close inspection and reflection. Just skip the introduction and epilogue…
On Becoming a Leader: The Leadership Classic
By Warren Bennis
2nd Edition
Copyright (c) 2009, 1989
Basic Books
ISBN13 9780465014088
Page Count: 254
Genre: Leadership
www.amazon.com