Leadership v Management

By: Kevin Hinton
Submitted: 2007-01-17 15:36:29
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Change is one of the only certainties in life – it is constant.

How we adapt to change will be one of the most determining factor in evaluating our successes or our failures.

• where we end up.

• who we end up with.

• and what we’ve got.

Change is never more apparent than in our personal development

- physical

- physiological

- mental.

• we are one time a son, to become a man, a father and on to grandfather as we proceed from infancy through to adult and old age

• we are born frail and weak – gaining in strength only to return to frailty and weakness again.

• from knowing nothing to - knowing everything and on to - knowing a little bit well. Or for the true seeker – to realize that in the end ‘we know nothing’.

In the business world there is also a hierarchical process of change as evidenced by those who become truly successful.

It is this writer’s observation that those who rise to spectacular heights in their business endeavours move through a state of management into one of leadership.

• from managing things to leading people.

In the process of making this exciting change it is necessary to move through 3 various states of dependency.

1. True dependency – as in an infants dependency on the mother.

2. Independence – like the state called ‘adolescence’

3. Interdependence – a state of mutual support in all aspects of endeavour – playing our part well in the operation of the whole.

• It is in the state of interdependence that the qualities necessary for true leadership emerge.

Management is the process of assuring that the program and objectives of the organization are implemented.

Leadership on the other hand, has to do with being a visionary and engaging others in the dream – exciting people and motivating them to perform to the best of their abilities.

• People are tired of being Managed

Richard Kerr states this in a most simple and humorous manner when he says:

- “People don’t want to be managed - They want to be led.

- Whoever heard of a world manager?

- World leader, yes.

- Education leader, yes.

Political leader - Religious leader - Scout leader - Community leader - Labour leader - Business leader – Yes!

- They lead.

- They don’t manage.

- The carrot always wins over the stick.

Ask your horse. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t manage him to drink.

If you want to manage somebody, manage yourself.

Do that well and you’ll be ready to stop managing and start leading”.

John C. Maxwell, in his book ‘Develop the Leader Within You’ says that he remembers the words from the president of Hyatt Hotels:

- “If there is anything that I have learned in my 27 years in the service industry, it is this – 99% of all employees want to do a good job. How they perform is simply a reflection of the one for whom they work.’

• Leadership is a condition that can be acquired through applying principles.

• Leadership in business is developed not discovered.

Granted, some people are born with leadership qualities but most leaders develop their skills through:

- mentoring

- training and

- developing, dare I say it, self discipline.

• Leadership is a state of personal awareness first and foremost.

If we are serious about success in an ever-expanding global business market we must first develop an attitude of personal integrity.

The business person that spends time honing their personal integrity will not only be successful in business but will find themself in a position of high regard and will be sought after by others for counsel on many topics.

Outside-In v Inside-Out

As we in Australia shift our focus away from the traditional markets in Europe and North America and begin to communicate more with our Asian counterparts, especially the Republic of China, we are faced with a dilemma.

The methods of doing business in regards to the peripherals

- Products

- Marketing

- Service

are the same everywhere - but the manner in which we approach business – the manner in which we communicate with our counterparts in the Asian market – well, now that’s a different kettle of fish.

We are faced with an oriental mind-set that has been shaped by a philosophy that is thousands of years old – a product of logic and manner that at times seems to be unfathomable to the western mind.

To come to grips and understand this difference in philosophy will require a shift in thinking – one that moves away from management toward the highly pro-active state of leadership.

I heard it many years ago and the words resound as strong to-day as then – You can tell a lot about a person by the books they read and the people that they associate with.

In other words, it’s time to go back to school and study – to learn how to become a person that commands respect and consequently, takes on the mantle of leadership.

A leader is best
When people barely know that he exists,
Not so good when people obey and acclaim him,
Worst when they despise him.
‘Fail to honour people,
They fail to honour you;’
But of a good leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will all say, ‘We did this ourselves.’

All the best in reaching your individual potential and if ‘leadership’ is your goal – don’t forget to look behind occasionally to see who is following.

Copyright, 2006,
Double K Pty Ltd

Thank you

kevin@thehealtheducator.com

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