Strong Leaders Manage, Successful Managers Lead
In various social media channels over the last few months, there has been a lot of debate over the differences between management and leadership. To be successful as either a manager or a leader, however, you must possess a broad set of knowledge and skills that encompass good leadership traits and skills. You also must have an understanding of and the ability to manage your business of segment thereof. In other words, strong leaders are skilled managers; and successful managers are effective leaders.
Forget the notion that leaders are born and managers are made. Yes, it’s true that some people are born with certain personality traits that allow them to be more comfortable in leadership roles. Without guidance, training and experience, however, native traits will not evolve in such a way as to allow these individuals to emerge as successful leaders. Both leadership and management skills can be learned, and both improve with education, training and mentorship.
As we consider promoting people into management roles, it would be to our advantage to consider whether each of them possesses traits that will allow them to adapt more easily to their new roles. Once we’ve made such an assessment, however, we must not be lulled into a false sense of completion. Having bestowed a title on someone does not necessarily qualify that individual to do a good job. To ensure their success, we must offer new managers effective learning programs, which will help them to develop their innate abilities and become successful leaders.
Engaging neophyte managers in leadership forums and similar programs that can help them identify and recruit a mentor is important to their long term success. Of course they can and should bring issues of concern directly to our attention, but ultimately what we most want is for them to develop and hone their own instincts. Often this is done better through interactions with someone else, for example, with an outside mentor.
Being a success in management requires one to be both a good leader and a good manager. Becoming a good leader and manager requires both training and experience. As executives, it is our job to ensure that our protégés receive the training they need to build successful management careers.
Gordon R. Clogston
