Practical Management and Leadership Notes

This site contains practical, people-focused information, techniques, guides, and advice for leaders of all types.

Who is this site for?

Successful organizations are build on teams cooperating and collaborating. This requires leadership at all levels of the team, and all levels of an organization, whether that is a privately owned business, a publicly traded corporation, or a non-profit.

Many think of the roles of leadership and management as providing leadership up and management down. Managers support an organization. Leaders support people. In some respects, I could probably stop writing there! However, that really only tells half of the story. Although many leadership experts and guides focus on leadership skills, many basic management skills are a foundation for leadership.

What is Leadership?

Being a leader means being responsible for guiding, directing, and inspiring a group of people towards a common goal. A leader is someone who sets a clear vision and direction for their team, and who motivates and empowers others to work together to achieve that vision. A leader also serves as a role model, setting an example for others to follow through their actions, words, and behaviors.

Leadership is not about knowing what to do all the time. Leadership is more about knowing how to figure out what to do. In fact, many of the best leaders build smart, capable teams that they can rely on, and lead to best possible decision, often at the last responsible moment. No one can truly know what to do all the time; that's impossible. Some leaders make it look like they always know what to do because they're quick at making decisions. Other leaders take time getting to the decision. These leaders carefully measure the issues before determining the correct course of action.

In order to be a successful leader, it is important to have a range of skills, capabilities, and qualities, including good communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. A leader must also be able to inspire and motivate others, and to build and maintain positive relationships with team members, stakeholders, and other people who are involved in the work.

Leadership is not about telling others what to do, but about empowering and enabling them to achieve their potential. A good leader creates an environment in which people are able to thrive, and where they are encouraged to take ownership of their work and to contribute to the success of the team. Being a leader also involves being accountable for the outcomes of the team, and taking responsibility for any challenges or obstacles that arise.

In summary, being a leader means being responsible for guiding, directing, and inspiring a group of people towards a common goal. It involves setting a clear vision and direction, and empowering and enabling others to work together to achieve that vision. A successful leader has a range of skills and qualities, and is able to inspire and motivate others to achieve their potential.

Although leadership involves the ability to guide, direct, and inspire a group of people towards a common goal, what people most often remember are the acts of inspiration. Guidance and direction, if done correctly, can often be invisible, or, at the very least, subtle.

What is the difference between leadership and management?

This is a question that new leaders often find themselves asking (or being asked!).It is perhaps one of the most basic (and, if you ask me, over-asked!) leadership questions. The typical answer that is offered is relatively straightforward; and goes something along the lines that management is about controlling, and leadership is about motivating.

But let's go back to the question itself; is it the right question to ask? Consider for a moment that framing the question as a difference inherently biases any thinking or discussion around leadership and management.

The Management <---> Leadership Spectrum

It’s not management vs. leadership. Rather, leadership and management can be seen as a spectrum of skills and abilities. In fact, there are times and circumstances where you might need to adjust where you are on the spectrum.

Motivating <---> Convincing <---> Persuading <---> Commanding <---> Controlling <---> Forcing
Leading <---> Managing <---> Controlling

Control

Many leaders, especially first-time leaders think that leadership is about having control, or taking control. But leadership is not about having control. The most effective leaders are able to give up control.

Leadership is not about leading strategies, products, or teams. Part of a leadership role might include creating strategies, managing products, and leading teams, but leadership itself is about empowering others, giving them control, and turning them into leaders.

Leadership does require vision. Both having vision, and providing vision.