A question in Leadership: leadership or management?

Having spoken to 1000s of business owners, had 28 years’ experience in the military it’s fair to say I have a little experience when it comes to leadership or management! No doubt you’ll all have your view when it comes to leadership versus management. Where you sit in the never-ending debate of developing leadership and that management goes hand in glove with it. Indeed, I have spoken to some who see it as one and the same, others who see it as separate skills. For the most part professionals, business owners, soldiers and officers see the merit in both and the need for them.

The age-old question of what differs leadership from management and how we make the distinction, I believe is a redundant one. I’d like to offer my take and hopefully get you thinking a little differently in reference to leading and managing. I’m sure we will all understand and have a view on our personal position of either leader or manager. Indeed, the numerous positional differences:

• A manager has subordinates; a leader has followers.
• A manager has focus on the process, the leader on the people.
• A manager has focus on the short term whilst a leader on long term.
• A manger may make decision whilst a leader may facilitate.
• A manager may focus more on the mind where a leader may evoke a heart response.

And the list goes on, you get the idea. In most organisations levels of leadership and management exist and work in harmony or do they? Whilst there is a place for both I’d like to ask you the question, which comes first? Can you truly lead an organisation, business or team if you don’t first have in place the right management?

Leadership or management – Which should come first?

Interestingly the question of which comes first is equally relevant if you are looking at your own skill sets or if you are developing levels of management or leadership within your organisation, business or team.

Now there is a subtle difference when we take leadership in the context of shifting paradigms and creating a drive for change, in these circumstance there is a shift made by the individuals who then become the followers. You will all have personal accounts of those leaders. When we focus within the world of business, engaging employees you will first require sound management before leadership can really make an impact.

When we look at a business and the journey towards success, growth and sustainability the needs to be process, systems and procedures in place; management. To create sustainability, consistency the foundation to build upon will need the skill and behaviours we associate with management. Think about that for a moment.

Can leadership alone truly create such a foundation without management? Management implements what needs to be done, maintained and measured which then creates the foundation from which leadership can evoke real movement and change.

Looking at the relationship of management and leadership in this context takes it from being linear relationship to progressive, build the foundation, create the right habits, evoke the right behaviours and generate the conditions for good leadership to truly influence, inspire and motivate.

Interestingly at this point the relationship become cyclical, self-professing, with a want and need to always be better. True pursuit of excellence.

Now there’s a challenging thought!

Why not take a look at where your organisation is right now, let your employees take our anonymous employee engagement survey? Get in touch and we can set that up for you.