One Response

1. Nerys

   December 31st, 2003 at 11:17:55

   1

   re: Why do people want to know the difference between managers & leaders?

   Not sure if you still want this answered, or if it was a rhetorical question, but here’s my take on it.

   The reason that people want to know the difference between leadership and management is because the terms are frequently, freely and mistakenly interchanged in today’s organisations.

   Management is execution, one can argue that even Dilbert’s pointy-haired boss ‘manages’ - he does. Poorly.

   Management can be taught and learnt at a university. One can learn about general organisation of time and tasks, learn about critical paths and project management theories, learn to use MS Project and PowerPoint to dazzle and bore. One can even tack a pretty Prince II certificate to one’s wall. All fine and well if all you have to do is help a good team deliver or ensure that a small project finishes on time.

   But what if you have to run a complex business or division? What if you have severe staff issues or something unforeseen and potentially disastrous comes up? For that matter, what if you’re the victim of a bad script writer and find yourself stuck deep in enemy territory with nothing but a pistol to defend you, a slightly dim but pretty damsel in distress and a sidekick who gets all the best lines?

   Ahh, now THAT requires leadership! (And, possibly, a better agent – but that’s another issue altogether.)

   Leadership requires something more than simple execution. I think that Leadership is the ability to clearly see the situation, business, task (whatever is applicable) from a MACRO point of view, formulate an executable plan of action, subdivide the plan into clear and measurable tasks and, finally, be able to eloquently communicate the tasks’ requirements to subordinates. It also asks that you take an active role in whatever it is you are asking others to achieve. Leadership means throwing away the remote control.

   Leadership also requires something that few people have – a clear morality, the courage to consistently stick to it and the intelligence to know when and how to apply its tenets. The best example I can think of from popular culture is Captain Picard from Star Trek – The Next Generation. His morality was more akin to an externally imposed code of ethics centred around the Prime Directive and Star Fleet’s officer’s manual. He was continually challenged by situations that tempted him to transgress this code and continually applied rigorous reasoning to make his decisions. Sometimes he broke the prime directive or other imposed rules, but this was never arbitrary and never an easy decision to make.

   Picard and other great leaders don’t simply use systems, procedures, rules and the mystical idea of ‘charisma’ to lead. They light the way, explain it then take the first steps themselves whilst helping their subordinates stick to the path. They communicate with respectful authority and appeal to reason rather than emotion when asking something of the troops.
   These are the things I’ve consistently observed in great leaders and what prompts me to say that you can train a monkey to manage, but leadership requires an extraordinary individual.

   ….and that’s, incidentally, why people want to know the difference between the two terms. They know that leadership is something amazing, desirable and attainable yet are (sadly more often than not) merely managed.

   Hrmm…I enjoyed thinking about that. So there you go, those are my thoughts on the issue.