Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls

Warren Bennis · Noel M. Tichy

Nov 2007 · Recorded Books · Narrated by L.J. Ganser

About this audiobook

Whether we're talking about United States presidents, CEOs, Major League coaches, or wartime generals, leaders are remembered for their best and worst judgment calls. In the face of ambiguity, uncertainty, and conflicting demands, the quality of a leader's judgment determines the fate of the entire organization. That's why judgment is the essence of leadership. Yet despite its importance, judgment has always been a fairly murky concept. The leadership literature has been conspicuously quiet on what, exactly, defines it. Does judgment differ from common sense or gut instinct? Is it a product of luck? Of smarts? Or is there a process for making consistently good calls? Noel Tichy and Warren Bennis have each spent decades studying and teaching leadership and advising top CEOs such as Jack Welch and Howard Schultz. Now, in their first collaboration, they offer a powerful framework for making tough calls when the stakes are high and the right path is far from obvious. They show how to recognize the critical moment before a judgment call, when swift and decisive action is essential, and also how to execute a decision after the call. Tichy and Bennis bring their three-dimensional model to life with interviews with world-class leaders who have thrived or suffered because of their judgment calls.

About the author

Warren Bennis was born in the Bronx, New York on March 8, 1925. During World War II, he enlisted in the Army, completed officers' training, and became one of the youngest platoon leaders to serve in Europe. He was awarded both a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He received a bachelor's degree from Antioch College in Ohio in 1951 and a doctorate in economics from M.I.T. As an educator, he taught organizational studies at Harvard University, Boston University, and the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management. He was a professor of business administration at The University of Southern California for more than 30 years. He wrote more than 30 books on leadership including On Becoming a Leader, Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge, and Why Leaders Can't Lead. He also wrote a memoir entitled Still Surprised. He advised several presidents and business executives on the essence of successful leadership including John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald R. Ford, Ronald Reagan and Howard D. Schultz, the chief executive of Starbucks. Bennis died on July 31, 2014 at the age of 89.