Wednesday, February 26, 2003
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Wednesday, February 26, 2003 |
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The difference between leaders and managers Napoleon said, "Soldiers can't be managed into battle. They must be led." My business and fascination has centered on individuals and how their performance impacts organizational success. Whether inthe military, politics, business, and even in religious institutions, the role of the leader can transform an organization from a negative to a positive direction. Mistakenly, people use the words "management" and "leadership" to mean the same thing. But these words and their energylevels are as far apart as the east is to the west. I know many excellent managers and they are valuable additions to their institutions. However, leaders are distinctly different than managers. Leadership is a combination of pulling and pushing. What is leadership? Joel Barker provides the best definition. He says, "A leader is a person who will lead people to a destination they would NOT GO to by themselves." We are no longer living in peaceful times. We are facing changes of Herculean proportions. Many of the problems this nation faces today require leadership. Management works best during peaceful times when the forces of change are minimal. On the other hand, leadership is needed during changing and threatening times. Despite the changes we now face, our country is the best place to live. One of the reasons it is the best is we have the inalienable right to express our opinions. Opinions are neither good nor bad, but most are based on emotions, not facts. The trouble with most of us is as Americans we resist being led. We think we know what is best, that our opinions matter. This leads to a fundamental question. Do people know what is best? Of course people will tell you they know what is best, but a large portion of the population is uninformed. The uninformed people will NOT choose what is best, but what is convenient. If we knew what was best--all Americans would stop smoking. The evidence is clear smoking causes cancer, but there are those who still choose to smoke. Do seat belts save lives? Why did our government make it a law to wear seatbelts? Was it becausepeople choose the right thing to do? No, people even when faced with the facts, will endanger themselves and the lives of others. Leaders make difficult decisions, not what is easy and convenient. Consider this last issue. When was the last time you stood on the bathroom scale? I do not know about you, but if we knew what was best, we would eat properly, loose 20 lbs., and start an exercise program. Despite health concerns, most of us choose not to, myself included. It is not convenient--it is hard. I once performed in a played called, "Enemy of the People." The play was about a small German town that was misled in thinking their local water supply had miraculous healing powers. Motivated partially by greed, a wave of excitement swept over the town to begin bottling and selling their miraculous water. Townspeople thought they were sitting on a goldmine--all would become rich. Unknown to the townspeople, one discerning individual hired scientists to test the water. He discovered the water was contaminated from acid dumped by a decades old tannery located nearby. The water was poisoned and would cause death to those who drank it. When presenting the facts to the townspeople, they refused to listen. He was armed with the truth, but became the "enemy of the people." Despite the truth, the town continued with its self-destructive plans. People ask, "Why is leadership so lonely?" It is lonely because leaders have to make difficult decisions, weigh the pros and cons of opinions, dismiss bias, and choose what is best. Leadership is not about being popular. It is not about opinion polls. True "leadership" is about taking people to a destination they would not go to by themselves." Free by E-mail: If you would like a free subscription to our newsletter, please e-mail us the word "Navigator" to navigator@chartcourse.com. Greg Smith is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and business performance consultant. Greg has been featured on television programs such as Bloomberg News, PBS television, and in publications including Business Week, USA Today, Kiplinger's, President and CEO, and the Christian Science Monitor. He is the President and "Captain of the Ship" of a management-consulting firm, Chart Your Course International, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Phone him at 770-860-9464. More articles available: http://www.chartcourse.com
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