Are You Managing to Lead?Learn Management Articles on management-info.biz. Are You Managing to Lead? article will help answer your questions on Management Articles.We at management-info.biz specialize in Management Articles. Management Articles at management-info.biz provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
By Monty J. Sharp, Certified Comprehensive Coach http://www.workteamcoaching.com For many people, the terms “manager” and “leader” are synonymous. In the business world, they are often used interchangeably, i.e. “team leader”, “team manager”, “project manager” - you get the idea. And why not? After all, leaders and managers do basically the same thing, right? In some instances, there do seem to be commonalities between the two and management techniques are sometimes confused with leadership traits. However, there are, I believe, some key distinctions to be made that radically separate the two. Here then, are what I consider to be some key differences between a leader and a manager: 1. A manager administers. A leader innovates. Managers take policies and procedures and ensure that they are carried out. Leaders are constantly challenging the “status quo” to achieve bigger and better things. 2. A manager maintains. A leader develops. As long as things are running smoothly, the manager is typically happy. The leader is never satisfied with the “status quo” or “the way we’ve always done it”. Leaders are constantly asking for more and bigger things – of themselves as well as those they lead. 3. Managers rely on control. Leaders inspire trust. Managers can feel threatened by subordinates who don’t seem to be “towing the line”. In doing so, they create a co-dependency in the subordinates who, in turn, rely on the manager to dictate nearly every step of the process. Leaders know how to tap into the inherent strengths of those they lead and then foster those strengths to the benefit of the organization. 4. A manager has his eye only on the “bottom line”. A leader has his eye on the horizon as well. In orienteering (using a map and compass) you must set your sights on a distant object to get an accurate bearing. If you take only short-range sightings, it is much more likely you will stray far off the right course. In the same way, “bottom lining” only without also “visioning” can result in ending up at a destination you did not plan on. 5. The manager imitates. The leader originates. While using “tried and true” methods isn’t always a bad thing, someone else’s methods may not be exactly right for every organization. Leaders aren’t afraid to try new, and even unorthodox, methods to achieve optimum results. 6. Managers focus on product. Leaders focus on process. While still holding to the principles of quality, productivity and efficiency, the leader is able to recognize the effort as well as the “end-product”. 7. Managers need lots of positive feedback. Leaders have an innate sense of their own self-worth. Everyone likes a “pat on the back” for a job well done. However, managers rely heavily on things like “performance reviews”, “appraisals” and “kudos” from their supervisors and their subordinates to demonstrate a job well done. They also tend to rely heavily on those tools as motivators for their subordinates. 8. Managers need subordinates. Leaders strive to develop other leaders. Leaders are always in the process of developing other leaders. Managers tend to feel very threatened when they perceive someone may be “passing them up”. 9. Managers tell “what”. Leaders share “why”. The manager is primarily concerned with simply giving the steps to achieve the desired result. The leader also takes the time to explain why those steps are crucial to the desired result. In doing so, the leader is also imparting his “vision” to those that help make that vision a reality. 10. Managers are more concerned with doing things right. Leaders are more concerned with doing the right thing. Managers tend to be very “order” and “structure” oriented. Leaders have a keen sense of the “spirit of the law” and aren’t afraid to “bend” the rules if it will achieve a greater good for everyone. Copyright © 2002, Monty J. Sharp ********** Vision to Venture, LLC is an executive coaching company dedicated to providing an interpersonal approach to high performance Executives, managers and work teams. Our highly effective and balanced approach to leadership development, teambuilding and action learning get both business related as well as human results. Visit us at http://www.workteamcoaching.com
|
More Articles:1. Problem-Solving Success Tip: Avoid Bug Mentality By Jeanne Sawyer Fixing bugs fixes symptoms: like taking aspirin for a headache, it may provide temporary relief but does nothing to prevent the next headache. It’s ok, and often necessary, to relieve the symptoms but you have to dig deeper if you’re going to prevent problems from recurring.The reasons and benefits for getting past the symptoms to the root causes are well-known, but many companies still tend to confine their root cause analysis efforts to well-defined technical problems such as physical compon… 2. Forget The "Sandwich" Technique By Alan Fairweather Do you remember being told to use the "sandwich" technique when you needed to reprimand someone? Let me give you an example:"Fred, I'm really pleased with how you've been progressing since you joined us and you're doing a great job. However you're not getting your reports in on time and we're missing deadlines. I'd like you to tighten up a bit on this. Anyway,thanks for all you've done so far and keep up the good work."Have you ever said something along these lines? You probably needed Fred to… 3. How to Sing the Song of the Unsung Heroes on Your Team By Susan Dunn This article is for you if you’re a behind-the-scenes kind of person – the admin assistant who gets the presentation ready for the guys in marketing but doesn’t get to go to the meeting; the PR pro who writes all their speeches and answers all the complaint letters for the president or CEO; the at-home mother who makes sure the concert pianist practices; the deputy chief whose job description is doing all the things the chief doesn’t like to do or can’t do; or the paralegal who prepares all th… 4. Communicating CEOs I see a PR firm has done a survey on the amount of time Canadian CEOs spend on communication, and found they spend almost half of their time on communication.I think we're supposed to be impressed that CEOs spend that much time on communication. But, quite frankly, what else does a CEO do? And, if you consider both direct and indirect communication, wouldn't that be more like 90%?So, what do CEOs do, and how much of that involves communication of one kind or another?Well, they make decisions. Bu… |
||||
