Leadership versus Management IntroductionThere are notable differences between management andleadership. Assessing ourselves againstthese differences is an important matter for personal growth and careeradvancement and requires constant vigilance if we are to attain leadership overmanagement excellence. This article is not insinuating that there is somethingwrong with management! It may seemthat, by the title of the article, that the article is based on the premisethat leadership is good, and management bad.That is not entirely true, although there is a touch of truth in thatstatement. The real assertion is thatleadership is a higher level of attainment than management, and that goodmanagement is an indispensable and essential component to leadership. Indeed, the most effective management isleadership driven. The ComparisonSo, with that in mind, comparing leadership and managementis more accurately the comparison of a combination of strong leadership andmanagement skill with a level of management skill where the leadershipcomponent is missing. It is a difficultcomparison to make explicitly, but examples in real life abound! The following matrix offers a good groupingof characteristics to think about: Strong Leadership & Management Skills Management Skill without Leadership More concerned with vision More concerned with implementation than the vision Oriented toward driving change, and anticipating environmental changes Oriented toward adapting to change, not taking the initiative Concerned with dynamics of a situation, which provides hints on how to leverage or shape; concerned with setting or changing the culture Concerned more with technique; sometimes preoccupied with maintaining order and the status quo, but otherwise with adapting to the culture Concerned with empowering Concerned with BEING empowered Actions demonstrate skill, but are strongly character based Actions tend to be more strongly skill-based More concerned with positive possibilities More concerned with negative consequences Concerned with building and/or reshaping the organization; willing to use skills of persuasion to advance vision and ideas of possibilities - regardless of position Concerned with filling out the prescribed organization; adopt behavior and attitudes according to level or position; tend to be more protective of position, information, and knowledge; may feel that a situation is out of their control or influence Understand their strengths and weaknesses, and are willing to learn from their mistakes and grow; able and interested in helping others do the same Tend to avoid risks for self protection, and hence growth is more limited; might understand strengths and weaknesses, but unaware of how to manage them to achieve goals See relationships as opportunities for growth; personal goals in alignment with organizational goals; recognize that interdependence is the best way to achievement See a more limited web of relationships in terms of immediately adjacent areas; tend to focus mostly on goals set by others, and work more independently within organizational limitations Build systems to support goals, empower others, and provide direction; promote sharing and collaboration; concerned with removal of performance barriers; and continued growth of team members Concerned with segmenting areas of responsibility; become indispensable and part of the system; overly concerned with what team members do and how In the going from management to leadership, it is helpful tounderstand the skills, traits, and qualities of a leader. Introspection about developing relationshipswith employees, walking the talk, and leading by influence rather than by forceare all very helpful. Practicing essential leadership activities - setting goals,identifying work breakdowns, creating an atmosphere of willingness and cooperation,and bringing out the best in subordinates AND colleagues build a foundationfor character-based action. ConclusionA growing leader (all leaders should be a growing leader) candevelop stronger leadership skills and traits by acting like a leader: Find ways of becoming a visible and supportive force Generate passion for your vision, or adopt or share the vision of your organization Anticipate, recognize, and manage reactions to change Delegate tasks creatively Determine and implement change strategies Create collaborative environments, where interdependence is valued Practice empowerment by helping others to be at their best Facilitate critical thinking Provide useful feedback Recognize and employ effective communication strategies Sometimes potential leaders are tripped up by the seemingcomplexity of their situation. As usual,the road to understanding of complexity is to break it down into simpler, moreunderstandable parts. One way to do thatis to take a process-oriented perspective processes down into three common keyprocesses: the people process, the strategy process, and the operations process. Since most people tend to have unevenstrength in these three areas, just thinking about these three processes tendsto even out the attention given to each, and can help a potential leader toavoid spending to much time in their comfort zone. How does one act as a leader when they are not in aleadership role? Well, that requiresacknowledging that leadership in its purest form is independent of role. Many people in leadership roles are notreally exhibiting effective leadership, while others often are. The key is who you are, how you think, andhow you act. Interested professionalscan further explore the possibility of Leadershipwithout Authority (3 hours/PDUs) by taking thecourse for free (and earn PDUs). John Reiling has worked in and around the field ofproject management over the past 25 years.He has had line responsibility in manufacturing, environmental services,engineering, mining and construction, and information technology. He has executed on all phases of projects incapital improvement, planning and forecasting, financial analysis, workflow andprocess improvements, portal, and more. John Reiling, PE, MBA, PMPpmtraining@pmtrainingonline.comhttp://www.pmtrainingonline.com/ John Reiling has worked in and around the field of project management over the past 25 years. He has had line responsibility in manufacturing, environmental services, engineering, mining and construction, and information technology. He has executed on all phases of projects in capital improvement, planning and forecasting, financial analysis, workflow and process improvements, portal, and more. John Reiling, PE, MBA, PMPpmtraining@pmtrainingonline.comhttp://www.pmtrainingonline.com
Category : General Education: Technical
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น