Managers and Leaders

I just read a blog on the differences between management and leadership. While this discussion is somewhat timeless, it did get me thinking and made me want to revisit the topic. Without going through and listing what I see as the major differences, I thought I would list one thing that I find important in this discussion. It's a simple concept but I don't see it discussed very often.

You can't manage people. You can manage a lot of things like tasks, projects, or even your check book, but you can't manage people if your ultimate goal is to be viewed and respected as a leader. You lead people and manage their work, but the leadership aspect should always come first.

One great way to get started is to take on a mind set that you must first serve your team and your employees before they will follow you and see you as their leader. Serving others first earns respect and trust while demonstrating integrity and commitment to your team.

How can we serve our team? Remember, it's not just about the work, we are dealing with people here. What are their needs, their wants, and their concerns? How can you, as a leader, uncover what they need to get the job done? Once you uncover their needs, you must demonstrate a willingness to listen, support, and provide guidance to help get the job done. Over time, serving your team first will help you take a step away from being seen as "the boss" and being respected as "the leader".

After that, you still have to manage the work, tasks and the projects but this will all become much easier when you have a team that believes in you, supports you, and is willing to work with you instead of for you.

Manage the work and Lead the people.