Allow me to chime in on an age old debate. For many people the terms "manager" and "leader" are synonymous. In fact I've seen organizations where a person was called a "leader" when they were functioning as a manager.
This may sounds too simplistic, but let's think about the words for a second. When you are "managing" you have a set of variables like tasks, objects or even people that need to be managed. You are organizing a group of things to function in a certain way. You may even be mitigating risks and good management should result in efficient function and progress. Management actually is more closely related to team building than leading.
A leader on the other hand, is leading. Where do we see this concept of leading someone or something? Typically it's in movement, direction -- that we may lead someone to get somewhere. My favorite definition of leading is taking someone (or a group of someones) to a place they aren't currently. It's not moving things around, it's not even necessarily efficient but it IS about movement.
Think about it, when you are meeting with a good counselor or even life coach that person is helping you work through whatever you need to work through so you can internally get to a place that you aren't currently. It may be overcoming fear, trauma, insecurity - whatever it is that is hindering you from taking forward steps. Before working with this person you were not likely thinking about these deeper things and they "led" you to go to a place in your inner world that you weren't looking at before and they are hopefully leading you to an even better place where you are freed from negative impacts.
I've been involved in a number of organizational transitions. In fact, my life mission is to discover UNREALIZED POTENTIAL whether in a person or in an organization and help them realize that potential. There are a ton of factors that go into that such as change management, vision casting, empathetic listening, facilitating discoveries and breakthroughs etc. But all of those functions (even some of the managing ones) are intended to take the organization or individual to a place that they aren't currently living in.
We need great managers who have the best interests of those they are managing. And we need leaders to take us where we aren't currently. One of the most important clarities we need in organizations is what does this role require? Or in many cases, what season or condition are we currently in? Do we need a leader to lead us to someplace we aren't currently? Or do we need a manager to create systems and structures and manage what is happening so that it is more effective?
And the good news is, while most of us are stronger at one or the other, many of your best people can adapt to what is needed at that time and for these people. The travesty is when we try to manage a situation that clearly needs a leader or we try to lead people to a new place when they simply needed someone to manage their current environment or situation.
So the issue ISN'T which one are you, sure, that can help to know your strengths. But the more important issue is what is required of this situation? And then you will likely need to educate the people why you think that is what is needed now. This applies to families, teams, churches, businesses and even relationships.
Σχόλια