Leadership and Management
To inspire and empower a generation.
I believe that the new generation is pushing a need for authenticity. No longer is there a supposed ‘who cares?’ attitude towards work, the environment or political issues – this is a generation held strong by belief, activism and question.
In a time where the information noise around the financial market, international safety, youth, drugs, sex, etc. rules — the new generation are seeking genuine leadership and progress on a scale not seen before. We lean forward, and rarely sit back.
In times of old, when a warrior of a tribe would fight for a position of power, it was a demonstration of strength and skill. When that warrior ascended through certain ranks or levels of authority, it was generally due to his superiors’ acknowledgment that the other troops will follow.
Leadership is achieved through the ability to inspire and empower. Who would you follow onto the battlefield?
Why should this change? I’ve noticed that in fast-growing companies, staff members are often thrust into managerial roles without fully understanding exactly what is going on, and sometimes their teams grow much larger within a short period. This leaves them feeling overwhelmed — soon the team notices and the breakdown of communication begins.
There are people I’ve met who have truly inspired me, and to be mentored or to work under them would be a true privilege. I may be at a different point in my career than others, but the conversation that these two words have brought with them is very intriguing.
So tell me — are the two inseparable? And what are your thoughts?
- Kate Carruthers: @jyesmith the two are inseparable – good leadership with bad mgmt is useless; & bad leadership with good mgmt is also useless
- Katie Chatfield:@jyesmith did Obama lead to victory or did he manage? I think a leader empowers and a manager maintains.
- Katie Chatfield: @kcarruthers @jyesmith Jesus? Gandhi? A leader leads. Managers follow.
- Kate Carruthers: Yep agree that leadership binary, got it or not, but mgmt can be learned or delegated. But leadership is viral, if you demonstrate it then others demonstrate it too. Poor leadership is also viral & IMHO associated with poor mgt
- Anique Vered: @jyesmith a leader guides, inspires, delegates – a manager oversees, and yes, maintains
- Munky75
9 Comments
Great leaders should be shit managers. Leaders have passion, do things randomly, and don’t always stop to think. They just do. Jesus had disciples to book the accommodation. Great leaders have great managers working for them.
Real leadership is about helping people face difficult problems. At least that’s what Dean Williams says. He’s a bigwig professor from Harvard and has some very interesting thoughts on real leadership vs counterfeit leadership.
He’s out in Australia this week and speaking at a conference tomorrow.
I can’t link directly, but here’s a grab from a post I wrote about him a while back.
If you don’t know Dean Williams, you really should look him up. He’s a very smart guy, Harvard lecturer, and author of a book called Real Leadership: helping people and organizations face their toughest challenges
In this meaty tome, Williams talks about the concept of real leadership vs counterfeit leadership. The latter refers to the modern day style of lead and follow, the setting of a ‘vision’ and use of dominance and control to get people to ‘follow’ a certain course of action – even if the vision is misguided! In contrast, he defines real leadership as mobilizing people in a way that helps them to face difficult problems themselves.
Real leadership means getting people to focus on the ‘real’ threat or opportunity that will ultimately help the organisation progress. This approach demands adaptive behavior from an organisation and its people: shifts in values and behavior, as well as new ways of thinking about a problem. But it’s also where the real work begins and breakthroughs are made. It’s a very powerful model, and one relevant to any company (in the book, Williams uses examples from his experience in government and a bunch of corporates). It’s also an approach that we as communications experts should be thinking about when engaging with clients.
leadership is an art. management is the organization and co-ordination of resources and time
I don’t agree that leadership is an art. Some people have more or less talent for it. But it can be learned, it can be improved upon and so it is a skill. Real leadership is having followers who get your vision and help you to enact it. Leaders – good, bad or indifferent – set the tone of the group. People take on boad the leader’s values, even the implicit ones.
You can have leaders who are crap managers
Then there are way too many managers who are in the position to be a “leader” but should not be. There are even more managers who think they are leaders but are just as crap.
Business does not recognise one over the other and often established businesses do not like leaders.
After all leaders don’t always toe the line. Leaders question. Leaders inspire. Leaders empower. Leaders delegate. Leaders make mistakes and then admit them. Leaders learn. Leaders encourage. Push. Drive. Set examples. Take a back seat. They recognise their weakness and empower those to fill the gaps.
And that makes them a threat ;-)
So for those who follow. Choose your leaders carefully. Because there are a lot of so called leaders who have not filled in the gaps that need filling ;-))
It reminds me. Surround yourself with those that you look up to and those who have a part of something you admire and respect. If you are around dynamic inspiring individuals you are more likely to be inspired and to inspire others. And at the very least you will learn something.
And if it does not all work out then come the revolution it will all be about “Vive la République and Vive la Résistance!” and we shall all follow Jye.
REAL LEADERSHIP by Dr.Dean Williams is by far the most dynamic and forward thinking approach to leadership I’ve yet come across. I have started instituting many of the principles and concepts outline by Dr.Williams and am already beginning to see the fruit.
I more than highly recommend his book.
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