New at Leadership Turn: Wes Ball
by Miki SaxonI’m excited to offer you a new feature here at Leadership Turn.
For the next few months (longer I hope) Wes Ball, founder of The Ball Group in 1982 and author of The Alpha Factor: a revolutionary new look at what really creates market dominance and self-sustaining success will be posting every Tuesday. Wes will be discussing leading and managing in light of his more than 15 years working with the likes of Subway and The US Treasury Department. To reach Wes call 717.627.0405 or write w.ball@ballgroup.com. Read all of Wes’ posts here.
What’s all the fuss about leader as opposed to manager?
I keep wondering why there is so much discussion about “leader” vs. “manager.” The head of a company has to be a leader, because people need to follow someone or something in order to be productive and effective. Without a model to follow, people fall into chaos. That includes everyone from your children to heads of major corporations to the companies themselves.
Every person within a company also has to be a manager—from the top down. Without management of processes and outcomes, there is chaos.
So what’s the big deal?
The big deal is that we’ve been taught that you can
- compartmentalize those two functions; and
- you don’t have to be both to run a company.
Wrong! There have been so many books written on this subject that it is almost absurd to talk about it, but even my own research for my book, The Alpha Factor, which was focused upon how to create total dominance in the marketplace, had to recognize the importance of the leader/manager. The key is in understanding how and where to lead and what to manage. And aren’t those the key definers of leaders vs. managers?
I think that it’s the “how,” “where,” and “what” that make a total leader.
What do you think?
Your comments—priceless
May 20th, 2008 at 6:37 am
Great to have you on board at the Biz Channel on Tuesdays, Wes, with your helpful information and advice.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Thanks for your welcome. Please, don’t be afraid to come back and beat me up, because I think we all learn more from a lively discussion. See you next week!