The Art and Adventure of Leadership: Understanding Failure, Resilience and Success

The Legacy of Warren Bennis in Latest Book from Wiley: The Art and Adventure of Leadership

Warren G. Bennis, an eminent scholar and author who advised presidents and business executives on his academic specialty, the essence of successful leadership — a commodity he found in short supply in recent decades will always be remembered as “the father of leadership”.

 Wiley’s new release and Warren Bennis’s legacy book:  The Art and Adventure of Leadership: Understanding Failure, Resilience and Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-09031-1; April 2015) co-authored with Steven B. Sample, one of the most accomplished university presidents in recent history, aims to reveal the profound insights the authors gained together over the 16 years in which they co-taught one of the most popular leadership courses in America. The book is written with Rob Asghar, American writer and political commentator who spent more than 15 years as an aide to Bennis and Sample. The Art and Adventure of Leadership is a candid exploration of the forces that shape successful leaders and unsuccessful ones.

 Warren Bennis and Steve Sample argued passionately for years that leadership is an art, not a science. Having studied and practiced leadership at the highest levels, they concluded that there were no surefire formulas, no one-size-fits-all. According to the authors, “Two things are too often lacking in popular analyses of leadership today.  First, there is a need to pose more serious, even painful questions to women and men who aim to lead. Second there is a need for a real-world, mature, balanced treatment of the complex and convoluted role that failure plays in the life of a leader”.

In this book, each author brings his own distinct vantage point as they address the mechanics and mysteries of leadership. The result is a unique examination of the journey of great leaders from momentary setbacks to ultimate success. It offers profound lessons on what determines the difference between failure and redemption for leaders. And it illu­minates important and overlooked dimensions of great leaders ranging from Winston Churchill to Steve Jobs.

 The Art and Adventure of Leadership explores why:

• A mature leader must grasp when it’s healthy to risk failure, and when failure can’t be tolerated at any cost
• Leadership isn’t for everyone and requires a particular set of skills and competencies that are often glossed over in most management literature
• To succeed in an uncertain and fast-changing world, a shrewd leader must understand which aspects of human society change—and which aspects never change
• A mature, wise leader must seek a balance between high-minded ideals and the gritty realities and compromises that leaders face in their daily lives
• Above all, meaningful leadership remains a matter of character

With incredible insight, this book examines why George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and other giants were able to recover from failures, learn resilience, and prepare themselves for their moments of destiny. In so doing, it demonstrates and helps cultivate the leadership skills that you need to create your own most meaningful legacy.