Why Leaders Can't Lead The Unconscious Conspiracy Continues [Paperback]

A Selection of the Executive Program and Fortune Book Clubs

Leaders beware. There's an unconscious conspiracy afoot, aiming to sabotage your plans and undermine your vision. Entrenched bureaucracy, ominous social trends, and mind-numbing routine are among its members?and their proliferation is an unfortunate sign of our times. But take heart. In this highly acclaimed work, legendary management consultant Warren Bennis unmasks the culprits, analyzes their tactics, and offers new insights for change agents struggling to take charge in an era that conspires against effective leadership.

The best book on how leaders can lead.
--Peter Drucker

Bennis teaches leaders to maximize their virtues, correct their faults, face change successfully, and love their work. Leaders will win, but so will their organizations: Bennis advocates a collaborative leadership that empowers employees and enhances organizational effectiveness.

A priceless gift to those seeking to be accountable leaders.
--Max De Pree, author of Leading Without Power

So learn why leaders can't lead. Then learn how they can lead. This book--alive with warmth and wisdom--is essential reading both for leaders and for the human resource professionals who teach them.

Preface xi

The Author xvii

Part One: The Unconscious Conspiracy and How to Confound It 1

1 One Job, One Year, One Life 3

2 Learning Some Basic Truisms About Leadership 14

3 The New Metaphysics of Our Age 25

Part Two: A Society Without Dreams 31

4 The Long Slide from True Leadership 33

5 Back to the Future 42

6 The age of Unreality 50

7 Where Have All the Leaders Gone? 59