Geeks and Geezers by Warren Bennis and Robert, J. Thomas - Book Report/Review Example

Geeks and Geezers Thesis ment The Bennis and Thomas compared the leadership styles of leaders who were raised during the World War 11 with those born in the modern era of media and technology. The breakthrough discovery of the authors was that both the groups possess one similarity called “neoteny.” The author Warren Bennis of “Geeks and Geezers : How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape Leaders” is a Pulitzer prize winner and has written some remarkable books on leadership. His partner, Robert, J. Thomas who is also the author of this book has published the award-winning book “what machines can’t do” (Bennis and Thomas). In Geek and Geezers, the authors Bennis and Thomas compare the leadership strategies of those leaders who grew up during world War 11 with those who were born in the modern age of computer technology. These two groups were named as “Geeks and Geezers.” The Geezers belong to the age of above seventy, whereas, the Geeks were under 35 years of age. The authors took various interviews with both the groups so that they could demonstrate the new form of management, which foretells the qualities that lead to successful leadership. Hence, after conducting various interviews with the two groups, the authors made a remarkable finding that all the successful leaders possess a similar trait known as “neoteny,” which is an urge and inquisitiveness to learn and explore new opportunities. Neoteny includes qualities like, curiosity, playfulness, eagerness, fearlessness, warmth, and energy (21st centuary collaborative). Moreover, the authors also highlight their model of leadership growth known as “crucibles.” These crucibles are harsh or bitter experiences in a leader’s life, which may lead them to success or failure depending upon how they take the challenge. According to the writers, the Geezers who achieved leadership success possessed qualities like hard work, intellect, aspiration and devotion. Geezers were some of the prominent names from journalism like “Mike Wallace” and “Visa Internationals Dee Hock” who were raised in the era of Depression and saw their parents struggling to get the necessities of life. In comparison, the Geeks who were interviewed, “often injure themselves to get what they want way too fast instead of looking patiently for the right moment to avail the opportunities. Their intolerance is obvious" (Bennis & Thomas, 61). The main difference of the era was that the geeks were trained and forced by parents to accumulate wealth at an early age, which did not seem possible by individuals who were brought up during the World War 11. The authors cite an example of an internet company CEO who was just 29 years of age and had accumulated almost 29 Dollars at the age of 19. Hence, the major difference between the two groups was that Geeks were more ambitious and had bigger plans and wanted to change the world, on the other hand, Geezers were just struggling to make a better living (Alst). However, each group had undergone a transformational experience known as “crucibles” which shaped their strong personalities. Crucibles are harsh experiences, which may foretell whether a leader would be successful, or not. After conducting a detailed research, the writers also came to the conclusion that the Geezers had only few jobs and hence took their work very seriously, they did not know the worth of diversity in their careers. Moreover, as there was no internet technology in the Depression era, the Geezers were taught through conventional ways of learning in schools and universities and were not pushed by parents and peers to go through pressures of acquiring more than one career. On the other hand as Geeks were born under the era full of alternatives, those include internet, globalization, bombings and governmental collapse. As a result, the Geeks strived hard to make a life, took communication and partnerships as key tools to become successful leader. Therefore, the Geeks worked hard on making a world a better place by looking beyond their personal gains and keeping others desires as more important. Besides, unlike the Geezers, they were more secure with failures and had multiple careers. Additionally, some more crucial factors that distinguish between the Geeks from the Geezers were stability in career and family, having no role models and the influence of Media like T.V. and Internet at a very early age. Hence, the purpose of the writers research was to show how leaders born in different eras had deep impact on their lives. However, the writers are of the opinion that despite of the differences of age and time, all successful leaders they interviewed share four major qualities that are, Adaptive capacity, Engaging people via mutual meaning, the right to be heard and Purpose. These four characteristics are illustrated below in figure 1. Thus, every individual who aspire a career growth in leadership must have the quality of “Adaptive capacity.” One must be prepared to face the toughest obstacles that come their way, because in this way they would evolve much stronger and committed. Through Geeks and Geezers, new leaders can learn the crucible experience, which could be a powerful tool in shaping them as potential leaders. As educators and adaptive experts, we must form a strong community and impart new knowledge to our future generations. Moreover, the leaders who possess adaptive capacity must also be very optimistic at every stage of their life. As Bennis says, “You cannot avoid bad news but one job of a leader is to get people to invest in future….basically we are providers of hope” (Bennis & Thomas, 61). Another most important trait of a successful leader is “engaging others for shared gain.” As the writers illustrate that no matter what company or background an individual comes, he must think beyond his own needs by putting others priorities first. The real beauty of any leader is that they do not force their ideas and thoughts on others rather they share understanding and vision with them. Hence, in today’s world, teaching our generation the right communication tools is highly important, moreover we as mentors and teachers must guide our youngsters to create something new with the intention to share new ideas with others keeping in mind the challenges they have to face with optimism. One more important trait to look for in a potential leader is the sense of purpose. According to the study that was carried out by the writers, all successful leaders feel comfortable in their own skin and look for employers who have a clear sense of vision. Furthermore, the fourth important characteristic that prospective leader must possess is the “Distinctive Voice” which includes the blending of honesty and genuineness. According to Bennis, “When integrity and authenticity are successfully coupled in a leader, that person tends to be comfortable in their own skin” (Bennis & Thomas, 61). Thus, a victorious leader is the one who has a strong positive character and personality, which everybody will trust blindly. The writers Ennis and Thomas, not only provide the readers powerful leadership tools but also insights into how any individual can reach their objectives. Moreover, this book “provokes the reader to consider leadership as the emergent effect of a multi-actor, dynamic, and transformational process”(Dash). Geeks and Geezers is not just about leadership enhancement but also about human transformation, because after reading the success stories of some outstanding leaders a person may easily adopt those traits to use them later in their lives. Besides, business executives who have the task of training leaders may also find this book extremely handy and useful. The four key competencies described in Geeks and Geezers might be helpful to many organizations during the hiring process of their company (Merriman-Clarke). Overall, this book is an outstanding piece of art containing amazing facts of leaders of the present era and the past. Reference Bennis, G. Warren & Thomas, J. Robert. “Geeks & Geezers: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape Leaders.” New York: Havard Business Review Press. 2002. Alts, Lucinda V. "Book Review: Geeks & Geezers: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape Leaders by Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas." American Journal Of Bussiness 19.1 (2004): n. pag. AJBonline.org. Web. Merriman-Clarke, Kristin. "The Leadership Traits of the Geeks and Geezers - Executive Update Magazine - Resources - ASAE." ASAE - The Center for Association Leadership. ASAE, Aug. 2003. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. . Bennis, Warren G., and Robert J. Thomas. "Geeks and Geezers." Frumi Group: home. Frumi Rachel Barr, 2002. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. . Dash, D.P. “Logic of leadership research: A reflective review of Geeks & Geezers by Bennis and Thomas” Journal of Research Practice,Vol 1:1, 2006. Accessed from http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/2/4 “21st Centuary Collaborative” Accessed at Read More