Crucibles of Leadership by Warren G. Bennis - Article Example

Crucibles of Leadership by Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas This paper aims to discuss ‘Crucibles of Leadership’ by Bennis and Thomas. The review focuses on comprehending the overall thoughts and opinions presented in the article. This article is considered to impact the fundamental understanding about leadership therefore it has become a useful resource for other researchers in the same field. This paper also included critique about the message and messenger. In a broader perspective the article deals with different concepts about leadership, for instance, the specific qualities which facilitate a leader to inspire people while instilling loyalty in them. On the other hand individuals with equivalent intelligence and vision face significant failures when it comes to instigate people to achieve greater objectives due to lack of these qualities. Usually people get de-motivated due to negative events which take place in their lives but leaders particularly learn and find meanings in the adversities of life. This actually makes them highly competent in the real world due to their wide experience and knowledge. This can be better understood by the fact that phoenixes arise from ashes similarly leaders become confident, stronger, committed and purposeful when face difficulties. Events which transform an individual from a common man to a leader are known as crucibles. One of the most important factors about them is that they are always unplanned (Bennis). They are also highly traumatic and intense in nature which plays a significant role in the development of a leader. The message and messenger In order to understand thoughts, opinions and impacts of the article it is important to first present a brief discussion about authors of ‘Crucibles of Leadership’. Warren Bennis who is the leading author of the article was born in 1925 and he is now recognized as the American scholar. He played a significant role in the development of modern leadership as a comprehensive field whereas he is also an organizational consultant (About Warren Bennis). He is renowned for his influence over people and also for introducing new concepts to the overall business approach. Robert J. Thomas is the fellow author of Bennis who contributed in the development of this article. He is a senior member and an associate partner with the Accenture Institute for Strategic Change (Robert J. Thomas: Crucibles of Leadership). His profound thoughts have enabled him to understand the deeper concepts of leadership. On the basis of his knowledge and experience he has been able to help individuals to identify leaders within them. The message presented in the ‘Crucibles of Leadership’ can be categorized as following (Bennis): Differences and Learning: As discussed previously that a crucible is actually an experience which alters the sense of identity of an individual. One of the commonly known types of crucibles is prejudice experience. When a person fall prey to prejudice then he is particularly forced to project a vague image of her or himself. The experience is highly traumatic in nature which also sometimes leads to the development of anger, withdrawal or confusion. However, for some individuals experiencing prejudice clarifies their overall personality, their purposes and roles and the distinctive position that they have in the world. The idea of darkness: As a human being we need to understand that we possess a soul which becomes dark over the time. Crucibles are actually beneficial in lightening up the darkness of soul but these are also categorized as the most difficult experiences which often include violence or continued illness. Here, authors have discussed the example of Sidney Rittenberg who spent 16 years in prison unjustly. He was not interrogated in his first year of imprisonment and he spent that year in complete darkness. Expectations: After discussing the traumatic crucibles authors have explained that some of them also involve positivity and challenges, for instance, a mentor or a highly demanding boss. Here, they have given the example of US Court of Appeals Judge Nathaniel R. Jones who gives credit of his success to his mentor J. Maynard Dickerson. This illustrates that people can either take job stress from difficult boss and supervisors or they can actually gain benefit from their knowledge and experience. Leadership Skills: Following are the leadership skills which specifically help leaders to benefit from difficult situations: 1. Engaging people in order to achieve the shared goals of the organization while meeting all the crises on collective basis. 2. Words play a major role when it comes to leadership therefore the use of unique and persuasive speech is important to gain the support of majority. 3. In addition to this integrity helps a leader to successfully meet challenges while turning their positive experiences. 4. Capacity to adapt is the most crucial leadership skill which also includes hardiness and one’s ability to take hold of the context, for instance, thinking that how people will interpret the gestures. Without having this fundamental quality leaders cannot connect with other variables of leadership. Impact of the Article The overall impact of the article is positive on the basis of the facts presented about crucibles. It will help individuals to think about their life events in a productive manner while gaining positive energy out of them. Examples included from the corporate world and the description about real life scenarios will facilitate researchers and authors to conduct future researches on leadership. For instance, authors have narrated the transformation story of Sidney Harman i.e. how the rebellion helped him in identifying the true leader within himself (Bennis). The crucible of his life is actually the event which influenced him to change his business operations and build a comparatively stronger link between business and student-driven education. In addition to this authors have included brief details about the interviews they had with numbers of leaders for their book ‘Geeks and Geezers’. These interviews helped authors in coming up with different descriptions about how a leader’s era actually influences his aspirations and motivations (Bennis). The article will prove useful for students of leadership and other researchers in recognizing the importance of crucibles and their profound connection with reinvention opportunities. Compilation and Publishing This article review of ‘Crucibles of Leadership’ by Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas is compiled using the online resources including the original article and profiles of the authors. It will be published as per university’s article review publishing policy. Works Cited About Warren Bennis. Author and Lecturer Warren Bennis. 2014. Web. 23 Sept 2014. Bennis, Warren G. & Robert J. Thomas. "Crucibles of Leadership." Harvard Business Review (2002): 9. Robert J. Thomas: Crucibles of Leadership. Harvard Business Review. 2002. Web. 23 Sept 2014. Read More