“Knowing who you are allows you to be who you’re
not.”- Anonymous
Last week, I taught a two-day course called “Maximizing Team Effectiveness,” and in one of the early exercises, I split the group up and asked one half to draw “management” while the other half drew “leadership.” Once we got past the raised eyebrows (“You mean I have to draw in this class?”), I saw lines and boxes on the management side, and stick figures on the leadership side. I asked each person to tell me which one they consider themselves to be, the manager or the leader. Without exception, they all said, “leader.” However, based on our conversations and each person’s self-identified personality traits, I’d say that most of them were more natural managers than leaders.
I’m not sure why people gravitate towards the label of “leader.” It is just as important to have strong leaders in an organization as it is to have capable managers. The two have very different skill sets and perspectives, and I believe that one comes more naturally to us than the other.
There are many definitions that seek to separate the two. Peter Drucker says, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” You might say that leaders manage change, whereas managers control process. Author Steven Covey wrote: “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success. Leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” I agree with these statements, but none of them helps us determine where we fall.
Here’s a simple question to help you evaluate your preference for management or leadership: Are you more concerned with getting things done, or are you more interested in growing people and the organization? Those who answered the former come from more of a management mindset, and those who answered the latter tend towards a leadership mindset.
Since we need both managers and leaders in our organizations, people often feel compelled to practice behaviors from both sides of the fence. This is where knowing who you are can help you to be who you’re not.
I’m not sure why people gravitate towards the label of “leader.” It is just as important to have strong leaders in an organization as it is to have capable managers. The two have very different skill sets and perspectives, and I believe that one comes more naturally to us than the other.
There are many definitions that seek to separate the two. Peter Drucker says, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” You might say that leaders manage change, whereas managers control process. Author Steven Covey wrote: “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success. Leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” I agree with these statements, but none of them helps us determine where we fall.
Here’s a simple question to help you evaluate your preference for management or leadership: Are you more concerned with getting things done, or are you more interested in growing people and the organization? Those who answered the former come from more of a management mindset, and those who answered the latter tend towards a leadership mindset.
Since we need both managers and leaders in our organizations, people often feel compelled to practice behaviors from both sides of the fence. This is where knowing who you are can help you to be who you’re not.
If you tend to be a natural manager, you might develop a leadership mindset by answering questions such as:
- What’s the big picture?
- What trends have I observed, and what might they tell me about the situation?
- What is the long term result we’re trying to achieve?
- What are the possible courses of action we might take?
- How might those actions impact our future?
If you tend towards leadership, you may develop a management mindset by answering these questions:
- What are the facts in this situation?
- What details are most crucial to our success?
- What can we learn from past experiences about our present situation?
- What observable clues can tell me whether we’re on track?
- What action can we take right now to achieve short term results?I use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® personality assessment to help my clients learn more about their natural preferences and blind spots, and if you’re curious to know more about yourself, I’m happy to help. And I know that everyone’s got their own theories of what constitutes a leader and a manager, so I’d love to hear them!
Here’s to consciously and confidently moving outside of your comfort zone...Cheers!
Posts
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteIt is not that we need both leaders and managers in our organizations. The truth is that every manager who is responsible for one or more persons in the chain of command below them, must be able to manage those people and most of that function is one of leadership because the vast majority of people are followers.
Cute phrases like managers do this and leaders do that are not helpful. None of us knew how to manage finances when we were born and to do so effectively we must undergo considerable learning coupled some years of learning how to put that knowledge to use. That is true for every skill and the skill of managing people is no different.
You make the point that some of us are naturally better at management than leadership and vice versa. That is true by virtue of our personality, upbringing and experiences in general. That is just us being human. So what's new? These tendencies do not relieve us of having to go through the learning and development of real skill through practice processes no matter what we choose to do. Depending on the skill involved, some of us will have an easier time while others must work harder.
To understand the right and wrong ways to manage people, please read the article "Leadership, Good or Bad"
Best regards, Ben
Author "Leading People to be Highly Motivated and Committed"
Ben,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your perspective. You're right--effective practice of management and leadership skills requires considerable knowledge and experience. And while we may be geared towards one more than the other, our natural preference for management or leadership does not guarantee successful or skillful application of either talent.
In my work with the Myers-Briggs, I find that clients have the experience of finally realizing that not everyone sees things through the same lens. They also begin to understand why that is, and they start to see the value that other perspectives bring to the whole picture.
I hope that in reading the original post, people are able to identify their natural tendencies and take on the challenge of skill-building more consciously. If they build on a natural tendency, it will be easier, as you mention. If they are determined to develop a perspective that does not come naturally to them, then I hope that they approach the hard work ahead with the awareness that it will be hard work. Otherwise, they risk burnout, stress, etc. That's why I ascribe to the philosophy in the quote, "Knowing who you are allows you to be who you're not." Development is a lot easier when you know where you're starting from.
Thanks for contributing to the conversation--I knew this would elicit debate from some brave readers!
And thank you for your long history of service in the U.S. Navy and as a citizen-leader. I wish you the best of success with your book.
Warmly,
Jenn