The difference between Leadership and Management
Your business needs both leaders and managers.
At different times, you need leadership that says “up and at ’em, follow me!” and you need management that says “let’s make sure we have enough resources”. The best situation is that both leadership and management come from the same people but they bring out what is required for any given situation.
Neither are characteristics you are born with – both leadership and management can be developed.
But, what is the difference between leadership and management?
How can you develop both leadership qualities and management qualities in your people?
First, you need to establish a formal training mechanism to give people skills, both in leadership (which is more than less about personal characteristics) and in management (which is more on technical management tools and skills).
At the same time, you need to encourage people at all levels to show leadership – reward people who, instead of sticking to “it’s not my job” instead pick up the initiative and either suggest or go beyond their duties to get things done.
In my consulting work, I emphasise the value of vision-led organisations. This means the corporate culture of your business has to be about doing things to get to the vision. It means the whole team understanding your vision to the extent that it strips away lots of small detailed questions like “should I…”, “how do I…”, and “which should I…”
Understanding your vision means that people understand what will bring the business closer to what is desired, and knowing that they don’t need micro-managed instruction. The confidence that brings means that they can show leadership, even though it is “not my job”.
What do you think? Get over to https://teikoh.com and leave a comment. How does your business use its leaders and its managers?
While you’re there check out the tools and resources that would cost hundreds to thousands of dollars to buy in consulting time – and they’re available for free!
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