Ducks in a Row: More On Leadership
by Miki Saxon
This post is a follow-up to Wally Bock’s leadership critique yesterday — only I wrote it in 2009.
Frequent readers know that I am not a devotee of Warren Bennis, who famously propagated the idea that leaders and managers are not only different, but that ‘leaders’ are higher on the food chain possessing far more value than the lowly manager.
I have devoted numerous posts to dispelling this attitude, much like Don Quixote tilting at his windmills. (It’s not a new attitude; I’ve had a statue of Quixote and Sancho Panza for years:)
I was discussing this over lunch with several executives and voiced my thought that no manager at any level can function successfully in today’s climate unless they are a leader.
This brought forth a terrific response from one CEO that is well worth sharing.
“A manager who doesn’t lead is a bureaucrat.”
An astute, simple and very accurate statement for people who are, or aspire to be, in charge, no matter of what or at what level, to frame and hang on their walls.
If you don’t want to
- craft and share a vision of what, why and when {whatever} needs to happen and leave the ‘how’ to your team;
- share information openly and willingly;
- take the time to craft communications that can be heard and understood by all;
- help both your company and your team become all that they can be;
- shoulder the responsibility, but give away the credit; and
- think ‘them’ before ‘me’;
then you shouldn’t be in charge.
More on the subject tomorrow, but for more leadership insights today be sure to read the June Leadership Development Carnival.
Flickr image credit: Richard Heyes
