Management or Leadership and Why it Matters

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Keith Russell, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

If you were to search for a definition of “Leadership” you would find dozens if not hundreds of differing opinions. You would find a commonality between the well thought out definitions- Influence or a synonym thereof will always be a part of the definition of Leadership.

I have asked, been asked and studied this decades long discussion for many years and I want to share my view on this important question. First I want to outline a few of my beliefs about Leadership and Management.

1. Leadership is an art and management is a science

2. As the business world and our society evolves, Leadership and Management ideology will evolve

3. With Gen X and Gen Y employees now the majority of the workforce, it is increasingly important to delineate between Leadership and Management

4. Management is no less important than Leadership and Vise Versa

5. Leadership is about People and Management is about things

6. Leaders can conduct Management functions and Managers, Leadership functions

7. Leadership is future focused and Management is focused on the day-to-day operations and structure of the organization

8. Leadership can be learned, taught and instilled in others, provided the individual has the capacity and desire to develop

9. Managers are vital for providing the structure the organization needs to excel and achieve it’s vision

10. Managers and Leaders alike, should always ask, “Am I doing what I should be doing?”

If I may be so bold, allow me to share my definition of each:

Leadership is the art of influencing and inspiring others to arrive at an envisioned and attractive future an organization desires, while always challenging common wisdom about what is possible.

Management is the function of providing structure for an organization so that compliant, legal, efficient and effective processes are recognized and implemented by others, thereby allowing the organization to achieve desired results.

The Manager provides the structure, framework and rules as in Policy, Regulations, Laws and the like. The Leader provides the Purpose, Direction and Motivation while creating an environment and climate that allows the organization to achieve the Vision. This is the “Influence”. Managers as well as all other employees respond to and achieve more when this environment and climate become a part of the organizational culture.

Once the desired culture is established, then and only then, will there be a highly effective organization that gets RESULTS.

Management is about the work of today. This is the purpose of the Manager. Leadership is about the attractive future. Great Leadership teams and the culture they establish will “Influence” the way a Manager operates, thereby allowing the Manager to contribute to the future casting and accomplishment of the organizations goals and vision. Managers can become leaders of and in the organization, and although this is great, that is not what we hire them to do.

I recently had a client ask, “Why can’t I be a Leader in a Management position?” Without hesitation, I told him that he could as long as he did so without blurring the lines of authority. If you are clear on the vision, long and short term goals of the organization and in your interaction with employees you can communicate these, do it! But, always aks yourself if you may be able to provide more to your current organization or another organization in a formal leadership role.

Let me share with you a couple examples when there was insufficient thought or understanding of the differences between Leadership and Management.

Manager Who Should Be a Leader-

Several years ago, a client I was working with expressed feeling undervalued by his boss and the organization because he was not given an opportunity to contribute to the discussion about where the organization wanted to go in the coming 5 years. He was a brilliant gentleman and had much to contribute. He was the Operations Manager at a manufacturing facility and had been in this position for 11 years. Notice in the definition of leadership above that there is no limiting language as to who is influenced or inspired by the leader.

As we continued to discover this clients talents, desires and capabilities, it was quickly determined that he had not articulated to his boss or others in the company that he wanted to contribute to the discussion. He had not proactively worked toward being a formal leader in the organization. He was just trudging along as the Operations Manager.

After careful assessment of his abilities and desires, together we developed a strategy for influence that would get him recognized and set him up for a “Leadership position” within the company. We evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing a position of leadership. He and I worked through transition tools and worksheets to verify what we believed to be was the best for him personally and professionally and what value he would bring to the organization.

He eventually decided on 3 possible options:

1. Stay in his current position

2. Work toward working in a leadership position in his current company

3. Researching and pursuing a leadership position with another company

Our strategy was to:

· Analyze where he was today and where he saw himself in the future

· Plan the goals, milestones and action steps that would make him successful

· Act on the plan with integrity and vigor

During his next performance review, he shared his ideas and his goals with his boss and it was received and well supported.

Within 7 months he was offered a position of VP of Strategy Development and is exceling in this position. He is inspired every day and contributing to the future successes of the company. Managers can be leaders and they have an obligation to themselves and the organization to ask for what the want. This gentlemen was “stuck” although he had a lot more to bring to the table.

Leader Should Be a Manager-

About 2 years ago I received a call from organization I had worked with in the past that had a “Leadership emergency”. They wanted a third party to help resolve the problem and wanted me there A.S.A.P.

The next morning I was on a plane and by noon was meeting with the Executive team to find out what was going on. They described a leader who was coming up short on all goals and milestones they assigned to him. He was very much liked by the members of his team. He had been working in his current field for over 25 years and was promoted 18 months ago to a leadership position. I did what I always do—I listened closely and empathetically.

I was able met with him the following morning to see how he felt things were going for him and what he though about his leadership effectiveness. I was amazed at how aware he was of his capabilities and of his leadership challenges.

He told me that he was the “guy with the most seniority and was given the job”. He was promoted to this position because he had been there longer than anyone else in the division. He had been an engineer for over 20 years and was well liked and very proficient in his work before assuming the leadership role. He admitted to not having the skills to lead the organization and only accepted the job because it seemed like it was the “right thing to do”.

I asked if I could shadow him throughout the rest of the day and he agreed. As he went about his daily business I watched how he interacted with the employees on his team. I observed his communication, workflows, priorities, delegation techniques and how he handled day-to-day problems and challenges.

He was working diligently, constantly moving and communicating… As lunchtime neared, I asked what we were going to do for lunch. He explained that he had too much to do to take lunch. I convinced him to take 30 minutes to have lunch with me so we could talk about the morning’s work.

When we sat down for lunch in his office (I ordered from a sandwich shop nearby), he looked at me across his desk and without any solicitation said, “I hate my job. I am a talented engineer and that is what I am happy doing. I am going to step down this afternoon.”

In order to slow his decision to step down, I began to ask him some questions to better understand his situation. I was gentle by forward in my exploratory questioning. Partnering with him, we were able to come to a conclusion that he had been promoted for the wrong reasons and was not a good fit for the job. I asked him to consider the questions/answers we had shared with one another overnight and wait to make a decision the next day.

Upon arrival to the office the next morning, he asked for an unscheduled meeting with the CEO and resigned from his position.

Today, he is the Senior Engineer and happy, productive and engaged everyday.

Are you a Leader of a Manager? Is this ok with you? If not, what can you do to change it?

Keith Russell is a Business Coach, Speaker and the Founder of Saber Consulting, LLC located in Fort Collins, CO. He can be reached via email at keith@sabreconsultingllc.com