One of the best teaching experiences Ed Schein and I had when we were teaching at MIT in the 1960s was inventing a course on leadership through film.

The quote “One of the best teaching experiences Ed Schein and I had when we were teaching at MIT in the 1960s was inventing a course on leadership through film.” by Warren Bennis reflects his innovative approach to leadership education. Bennis highlights how he and fellow scholar Edgar Schein, both pioneers in the field of organizational studies, developed creative methods to teach complex ideas. By using film as a medium, they were able to illustrate leadership principles in action, making abstract concepts more relatable and engaging for students.

The origin of this statement comes from Bennis’s time as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the 1960s. Alongside Ed Schein, who became a renowned expert in organizational culture, Bennis sought to rethink how leadership was taught. Their experimental course used movies not just for entertainment, but as powerful teaching tools to analyze behavior, decision-making, and the dynamics of leadership within groups. This approach demonstrated Bennis’s commitment to blending scholarship with practical, experiential learning.

The meaning of the quote lies in its emphasis on innovation in teaching methods. Instead of relying solely on textbooks or lectures, Bennis and Schein recognized that storytelling through film could provide vivid examples of leadership challenges and successes. This method also reflected Bennis’s belief that leadership is best understood as a human, emotional, and situational practice—not just a set of theories. It encouraged students to critically reflect on characters and scenarios in film as mirrors of real-life leadership dilemmas.

Ultimately, Bennis’s reflection underscores his role as a transformative figure in the study of leadership. By recalling this experiment at MIT, he illustrates how effective education requires both creativity and relevance. His words remind us that leadership development is not only about academic theories but also about engaging experiences that inspire students to see leadership in action, whether in organizations or on the screen.