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Today's young leaders grew up in the glow of television and computers; the leaders of their grandparents' generation in the shadow of the Depression and World War II. In a groundbreaking study of these two disparate groups-affectionately labeled "geeks" and "geezers"-legendary leadership expert Warren Bennis and leadership consultant Robert Thomas set out to find out how era and values shape those who lead. What they discovered was something far more profound: the powerful process through which leaders of any era emerge.

Geeks and Geezers is a book that will forever change how we view not just leadership-but the very way we learn and ultimately live our lives. It presents for the first time a compelling new model that predicts who is likely to become-and remain-a leader, and why.

At the heart of this model are what the authors call "crucibles"-utterly transforming periods of testing from which one can emerge either hopelessly broken, or powerfully emboldened to learn and to lead. Whether losing an election or burying a child, learning from a mentor or mastering a martial art, crucibles are turning points: defining events that force us to decide who we are and what we are capable of.

Through the candid and often deeply moving crucibles of pioneering journalist Mike Wallace to new economy entrepreneur Michael Klein, from New York Stock Exchange trailblazer Muriel Siebert to environmental crusader Tara Church, Geeks and Geezers illustrates the stunning metamorphoses of true leaders. It also reveals the critical traits they share, including adaptability, vision, integrity, unquenchable optimism, and "neoteny"-a youthful curiosity and zest for knowledge.

Highlighting the forces that enable any of us to learn and lead not for a time, but for a lifetime, this book is essential reading for geeks, geezers, and everyone in between.

AUTHORBIO: Warren Bennis is Professor and Founding Chairman of The Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California, and the author of over thirty visionary books on leadership. Robert J. Thomas is an Associate Partner and Senior Fellow with the Accenture Institute for Strategic Change and award-winning author of What Machines Can't Do .

沃伦·本尼斯(Warren G．Bennis)美国当代最杰出的组织理论、领导理论大师。南加州大学校聘教授,哈佛大学肯尼迪政府学院公共领导力中心主席。曾任教麻省理工学院、波士顿大学,曾任纽约大学布法罗分校副校长,辛辛那提大学校长。先后担任过四任美国总统的顾问团成员,并担任许多《财富》500强大公司的顾问、董事。至少著有27本与领导有关的书籍,其中被《金融时报》誉为50大商业好书之一的《领导者》,和另一本《如何成为领袖》都被译为至少21种语言。1993年及1996年两度被《华尔街日报》誉为管理学十大发言人,并被《福布斯》杂志称为“领导学大师们的院长”。《金融时报》最近则称赞他是“使领导学成为一门学科,为领导学建立学术规则的大师”。

罗伯特·托马斯(Robert J．Thomas)埃森哲公司策略变革中心(Accenture Institute for Strategic Change)的合伙人及高级研究员,曾为全球多家公司在领导发展方面进行咨询。在加入这家公司前曾在麻省理工学院及密歇根大学任教多年。著有《机器无法代劳的事情》一书。