About the Warren Bennis Leadership Institute
Vision, Mission & Values
Vision & Mission
Inspired by the legacy of Warren Bennis, the institute envisions a University of Cincinnati where leaders develop across disciplines and generations by:
- Creating pathways for students to develop, practice and demonstrate their leadership capabilities.
- Expanding impact through partnerships, powering efforts by UC Student Affairs, the Alumni Association, Lindner Professional Programs and beyond.
- Building capacity to extend reach, developing students and staff to facilitate leadership development experiences.
Values
We believe, as Warren did, that leadership development starts early and lasts a lifetime. Leadership does not derive from a specific trait or formal title, but from a mindset with skills and practices honed through crucible challenges. Our core values reflect these principles:
- Developmental: Leaders grow over time via ongoing learning and relationships.
- Experiential: Transformational leadership learning occurs through practice honed by reflection, feedback and recurring challenges.
- Evidence-Based: Our work is grounded in research and theory and honed by practice, deepening our understanding of how people learn, grow and lead.
- Student-Centered: Furthering students as rising leaders is core to our work.
- Collaborative: We strengthen leadership development together, through campus and community relationships, diverse perspectives and shared learning.
- Leadership for Public Purpose: We develop ethical leaders driven to address complex challenges for the betterment of society.
FAQs
The interdisciplinary hub for leadership development at the University of Cincinnati.
We are located at the Steger Student Life Center in room 743A/B. Feel free to schedule a time to stop by, visit our space and interact with our staff!
Known as the "Father of Leadership," Warren Bennis was the 22nd president of the University of Cincinnati, serving UC from 1971-1977. He was a world-renowned scholar, consultant, author and leadership expert.
We pride ourselves on three distinctive qualities.
- First, we are an interdisciplinary institute, serving all colleges and executives from different industries, sectors and disciplines.
- Second, we are rooted in the theory and practice of leadership espoused by leadership expert Warren Bennis.
- Lastly, we were founded by students and continue to be student centered, creating opportunities for community members to interact with the aspiring leadership talent found at UC and providing opportunities for students to lead within the institute.
Check out our Student Leadership Development or Professional Development pages for suggestions on how to develop as a leader and be involved with the Institute! We understand everyone’s journey looks different and we are happy to meet and discuss your personal journey with you or determine the best learning options for your team/organization.
Everything we do at the institute is evidence-based, meaning that our programs and training opportunities are grounded in leadership research and theory. We also collect our own data to evaluate and ensure our programs are developing participants in the intended way.
The institute believes, as Bennis did, that leaders develop early and often, and that leadership does not necessarily reside within a specific person, title or rank. Rather than defining leadership based on a position, we define leadership as the presence of three key outcomes: direction, alignment and commitment.
- Direction — setting goals and objectives
- Alignment — coordinating resources to meet goals
- Commitment — motivating and holding members accountable to achieve goals
We believe that leadership is a lifelong journey and each of us has the capacity and calling to be a leader at various points in time. We believe everyone has the potential to lead and solve problems.
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Contact Us
Warren Bennis Leadership Institute
Steger Student Life Center
Suite 743 A/B
2801 UC MainStreet
Cincinnati, OH 45221
warrenbennislead@ucmail.uc.edu