[JR] The most corrosive thing about this Leadership vs. Manager talk is
that the either-or connotation of "vs." forestalls discovery and hope in
thousands of human beings.
[JR] Let me try to explain the tremendous damage that is being done.
[JR] In order to not be any more personal than necessary I have left off
the author indentifications in the following because I want to focus as
much as possible on what is said rather than who said it or how it was
said.
>As Capowski says, management is from the
>head, leadership from the heart.
[JR] Interesting personal viewpoint on the limits of management but saying
it doth not make it reality.
>Management is a transaction (i.e., you do the work and I'll pay you.)
[JR] Interesting personal viewpoint on the limits of management but saying
it doth not make it reality.
>I would argue that what make a good leader is someone who can motivate the
>followers toward making the necessary committment to the change. A good
>leader is someone who can make a follower "believe" in the change.
[JR] Seems true. And true of good managers, as well. This is not a
differentiator that defines two classes.
> Our belief that management (it's traditional
>definition) can be benevolent and effective is hogwash.
[JR] Interesting personal viewpoint (belief is a very appropriate word) but
saying it doth not make it reality.
>Entrepreneurial leaders cannot be managers!
[JR] Oh yeah! Wanna compete? People tell me I do both everyday.
>My experience is that purging the
>word "management" from our lexicon is the only way to focus on leadership and
>follow-ship. Again, lead by logical necessity and be a student when ably led.
[JR] Ah, the shell casing for the Silver Bullet. Now if only the powder
wasn't wet.
>In the words of General Norman Schwartzkof :
>You manage organizations, but you lead people!
[JR] Yes, and he personally strove to do both, in the right proportion at
all times.
>The point is, leadership by example, leadership by wandering
>around and just communicating with the guys in the trenches, is what
>separates leaders from managers.
[JR] Be careful about personalizing behaviors. Consider if you would agree
with yourself if saying "-- is what separates leadership from
administrative behavior.
>Interesting discussion. The debate concerning the similarities and
>differences between leadership and management is not a new one.
[JR] Not new at all. But I am not debating the difference. I maintain
that leadership is a proper subset of managerial behavior, as is
administration. In fact, leadership must be a subset else the inevitable
result of leadership without the other balancing factors of management
appears -- managerless leadership is what generates a cult.
[JR] This does not claim that all persons with the title or role of
managers are leaders. I agree that it is highly important to recognize
that a given manager may not be a leader. But I think it is incorrect to
pose the notion that these are different jobs, roles or people. Zaleznik
could just as well have said, "Managers who perform only the administrative
aspect of their job enforce rules and procedures whereas when they perform
the leadership aspect they are concerned with 'What should we be doing'
etc. etc. etc."
[JR] There is a strange phenom called Possibilities. I have observed in
several instances that once a manager who does not exhibit leadership
behaviors discovers that it is possible for him/her to do so, some (though
by no means all) proceed to acquire excellent leadership abilities.
[JR] The most corrosive thing about this Leadership vs. Manager talk is
that the either-or connotation forestalls discovery and hope in thousands
of human beings. Just what outcome are you trying to achieve? "Freedom
to" for them or a dependency on you?
.
Jack Ring
Innovation Management
32712 N. 70th St., Snottsdale, AZ 85262-7143
Office) 480-488-4615, Cell) 602.369.4615, Fax) 480-488-4616
Where all think alike, no one thinks very much. (Walter Lippman)