~ The single most important
ingredient in the
formula for success
is the knowing how to get
along with people.
~Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President
Here are some good reads on the topic of leadership:
- “Authentic Leadership” by Bill George
- “Primal Leadership” by Daniel Goleman
- “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” by Dr. John C. Maxwell
- “Executive Intelligence” by Justin Menkes
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Think about a mindless stack of paperwork and then think about what comes along with your average human being. People come with a variety of complexities that makes it impossible to actually manage them as a whole. People we work with embody a multitude of attitudes, dispositions, histories, talents, troubles, families, preferences, values, achievements, skill sets, opinions and a ton of other components that make it very difficult to manage them through control. Leading people is actually a much easier task than managing people if you know how to motivate, navigate, and communicate with them as they are. If you don’t know how to do this, there’s hope! With some concerted effort, you can learn these proven methods.
The books listed above are a great place to begin understanding how to do this. It will take practice, but the payoff is huge! The key is to focus on what internally drives each person you lead and make sure that you are aligned with those intimate motivators when your are trying to get a job done through the efforts of complex creatures.
Just remember, if people would come to work and leave that long list of personal attributes at home, then we might actually have a chance to manage them. Unfortunately, they don’t, so our focus should be on how best to lead them to achieve the desired results.I hope this helps you in your leadership journey!
Tom Schulte | CEO | Recalibrate Professional Development
www.leadershippowerlabs.com
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You bring up good points. When I see this line “The key is to focus on what internally drives each person you lead and make sure that you are aligned with those intimate motivators when your are trying to get a job done through the efforts of complex creatures.” – I shake my head in agreement. When leading my group, I have to make a concerted effort to focus on others, not on what I want.
Ron
Leadership, in an organizational setting, is the result of the relationship of the leader with each and every follower. This means the leader needs to adapt himself to each person and situation in order to be effective to say the least. Managers on the other hand are fundamental for administering resources, assigning, controlling…so although very different in nature, both are necessary…
I’m not convinced of the separability of these roles (as they are often presented) and I am wary of the subtle undermining of the status of the term “manager”. I still love Mintzberg’s articlefrom the 1975 Harvard Business Review (The Manager’s Job: Folklore and Fact, HBR, July-August 1975, pp. 49-61) where he focuses on the roles inherent in the role of manager and the gestalt that they all make up. Given the gap between strategy and execution I think it is vital that the “leader” can also deliver the goods. leading without substance will be a transitory thing and may explain why many leaders move on to new roles repeatedly after a few years.
It is always an interesting question ‘Manager or Leader’ and I agree with many of the comments listed. Often the real challenge is for managers/individuals to accept that they are leaders, where they have a perception that leaders are heroic figures or those at the highest positions of power/influence. The reality is that leadership is everywhere in organisations from top to bottom and sideways. Within a team/group it can also be fluid and move from one person to another (leadershifts) – dependent on whom has the greater capacity to lead.
I agree that there is a distinction between leader and manager. Anyone who is very good at what he/she do in a group can manage, but not all manager can lead.
I read Jack Welch “29 Leadership Secret” and I am still far from mastering it. But I am on the right track.
For me, “Leadership by the Book” by Blanchard, Hybels and Hodges changed me from a manager to a leader. Yes, leaders must manage certain tasks in their role and to a point there will always be a “checklist” of what has to be done. Where I see the difference between leaders and managers emerging is in the growth and development of their people. A die-hard manager wants things to be done in this way, at this time, on this day and as long as the checklist is done, they feel as though they have fulfilled their role in the process. A leader is open to new ideas and ways of doing things, is not offended or insulted when their process is challenged by an employee and are more concerned with the professional and personal growth of their people.
If you are a leader and are truly concerned with the actual lives of your employees and you exhibit the characteristics of ethics and integrity even in the toughest of times, your daily actions will promote you rather than a polished resume or simply hitting the numbers. It may not happen as fast, but you will have a more solid foundation and support network than a “fast-track” whatever it takes individual. As a true leader, you are much more likely to have a sustained career rather than being a “flash in the pan”. When the people that you are responsible for are willing “to lay it all on the line” for you, even if you don’t ask them to, you have become a leader who has earned respect by the consistent life you lead rather than a manager who demands obedience.