If you’re an effective manager, you could become a leader one day — that’s how most people see the connection between leadership and management.
According to the Harvard Business Review, managers lead while leaders influence. Who wants to be a manager and focus on day-to-day issues when you could be a leader who helps shape the direction of the business? However, it would be absurd to think that leadership is the only worthwhile position.
We interviewed five experts who explain the main differences between leaders and managers.
Good managers should not be underestimated.
While everyone remembers a great leader, Jaspreet Singh, CEO and founder of software company Druva, believes it’s essential not to underestimate managers. “I sincerely think that people have cultivated a bad reputation around the position of manager,” he says. “Nobody wants to be called a manager. Even a junior person starting out in a company wants to be identified as a leader from day one. »
Singh says building leadership skills takes time and involves having something significant to contribute to the company.
“In the world of technology, it can be a specific initiative, program or team. A leader takes an initiative and gets a result. How he achieves this goal is a matter of leadership principles that vary according to the environment and the task at hand. »
According to Singh, managers are responsible for effectively overseeing a set of resources. In his company, management is often about making the most of human resources and building a strong and motivated team.
“A manager knows how to unite a team, how to build a team, where to hire people, what is the ideal profile, how to manage conflict resolution and how to ensure the empowerment, education and development of individuals”
Managers make sure their team members thrive
Gerardo del Guercio, executive at Prostate Cancer UK, explains that effective management is about making sure someone on your team doesn’t do what you wouldn’t do yourself.
“If you’re respected, you create a real team and you’re not just a transmission belt,” he says. “As a manager, I want happy people. I don’t feel threatened by the people in my team. I want to teach them. »
As an experienced manager, Mr. del Guercio likes to put into practice the many techniques he has learned during his career in the technology industry. According to him, IT management often involves the use of similar systems from one sector to another. Team management, on the other hand, involves subtle variations, depending on the context you are in and the individuals you are trying to motivate.
“What I love about management is building a team that is thought to solve a problem. I warn my students that they may feel pressured and sinking, but my job is to make sure they can bounce back. »
Managers and leaders have key roles
Bev White, CEO of recruiter Nash Squared, says management is often about execution and expectation.
“When you are a manager, you are given a toolbox made up of people to manage, details to control, limits to respect. It is up to you to manage all these points. »
According to Ms. White, leadership, on the other hand, is an entirely different thing. This is a position focused on the ability to inspire people to go beyond their limits.
“It’s about making people want to stay with your company, motivating them and valuing them,” she explains. “It comes down to understanding the dynamics of the team you have and their current needs. »
While Ms. White says leaders often share common characteristics, she adds that it’s important to recognize the changing nature of leadership.
“Several generations coexist in a workplace,” she says. “We cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach to communication and our leadership styles must develop as generations change”
Leaders nurture the right corporate culture
Ed Higgs, Director of IT Services at Rentokil Initial, says there is a fundamental difference between management and leadership. One is focused on direction while the other is focused on inspiration.
“Management is telling people what to do and how to do it. he says. “Leadership is about creating an ecosystem where people are able to achieve what they want to achieve. »
Mr. Higgs believes in giving as much power as possible to the different teams within the company.
“My team makes decisions and we are very attached to this autonomy,” he says. “So if someone comes to me with an idea, I better listen to what they say, or have a really good reason not to. »
Higgs engages with managers and escalates ideas to management. “Leadership to me is not about telling people what to do,” he says. “I represent 80 people on my team. I represent them when I go to the board and decisions are made. »
Leaders set the direction for future missions
Andy Pocock, IT director at TrustFord, says management is about looking after existing processes while leadership is about creating clear direction for future assignments.
“In very simple terms, it’s about looking to the future,” he says. “It’s about creating a strategy, looking at and interpreting trends, and then leading people in the direction you want them to go. My leadership is about making sure my team can deliver on the long-term strategy. »
Mr. Pocock says leadership must lead by example. “You have to show the right behaviors, the right attitude and the right approach to have to everyone. »
Source: “ZDNet.com”