culled from:http://theundercoverrecruiter.com
So you employ a group of guys who you proudly call your
‘team’ which you are the manager and leader of, and you are confident
that they respect you as their boss – but is ‘managing’ a team, the same as ‘leading’ a team? And will you get different outcomes from either approach?
No doubt you do have great leadership skills and much of
this will be second nature to you, but is there room for growth? Let’s
assume your team performs relatively well, your staff turnover is no
better or worse than most teams and generally everyone seems to give you
the respect you feel you deserve. But could your team give you more,
and is their performance a direct reflection of your ‘leadership’
capabilities?
“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”
– famously quoted by Dwight D. Eisenhower, this surely is the key to
having a super high performing team who will stop at nothing to achieve
your goals?
So how can we all be leaders in this way? Well first lets
understand some of the key differences between ‘Managers’ and ‘Leaders’:
-
A leader develops and builds, the manager maintains.
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A leader invests in his people, a manager invests systems & processes.
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A leader inspires and originates, a manager imitates him and makes demands.
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A leader challenges the status quo, a manager operates within the existing situation.
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A leader isn’t afraid to anything the team do, and often will put aside his own work and get involved, managers feel this is not appropriate
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When times are tough a leader will stand on the front line of battle, a manager will step back and observe and instruct from afar
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A leader will have the team’s absolute support, whereas the manager might feel his team aren’t committed to the cause.
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A manager says ‘Go’, a leader says ‘Lets go’
Do any of these points ring true? I am sure many of us have
felt some of all of these from time to time, I certainly have and have
reflected on how I can be more of a leader than a manager.
So, if you are a manager who does things right, now is the
time to become a leader and do the right thing. Here are some tips that
should help develop or sharpen your leadership skills:
1) Share your vision:
Have
a vision of how you see the team and its performance along with your
organisational goals. Share this with your team so each and every one of
them understand their role and your’s, offer the opportunity for team
members to step up and make them all accountable to each other creating a
more cohesive environment.
2) Trust people and give them freedom:
A leader trusts his people to deliver. He does not
micro-manage or stand over the team. His job is to positively influence
his people in order for them to deliver results. Delegate
responsibilities and give people the opportunity to utilise their
expertise to their best judgment. However, it is important that you
clearly spell out the goals before delegating.
3) Listen, learn and understand:
A leader knows that he does not always have all the
solutions but will work to get the right outcomes to a problem. He will
first take feedback (by listening carefully), asks questions, evaluates
the situation, and then makes decisions. He knows that he can make
mistakes and learn from them and he also knows that a brilliant idea can
come from anyone in the team. Listen more than you talk, and when you
make decisions you can be sure they are based on fact and evidence, your
team will then respect your decisions.
4) Take action with responsibility:
Leaders make decisions and act on them. The actions will be
for the greater good of the team and you will explain to the team your
rationale for your decisions. If the decision does not work, a leader
will assume full responsibility. They then go back to the drawing board,
learn what went wrong, and then make the necessary changes. Shoulder
the responsibility, and show your team that you too can learn and grow.
5) The motivator and the backbone:
The leader provides a cushion to his team members. He
empowers and motivates, along with guiding and coaching them, and
clearly outlines their individual goals along with the overall team’s
goal. He creates an environment in which it is easy for them to succeed.
And when they deliver, he rewards them by giving praise, recognition
and after continued long term high performance he provides monetary and
status reward through cash bonuses and maybe even offering a promotion
along the way.
6) Be sincere and genuine:
A leader is true to himself and to his team. He is
passionate about the organisation’s goals and sincerely goes about
achieving them. You too should be honest to your team and realise your
own shortcomings. Be confident, honest and respectful of others; use
your integrity as you lead your team towards the organisational goal.
In summary, leadership is about having a vision, empowering
the team to be a part of that vision and providing an environment in
which it is easy for the individuals in the team to succeed. It is also
about taking responsibility for your actions as the head member of the
team and working with integrity, transparency, honesty and respect for
each team member.
If you can achieve all of this then you will be a genuine
leader of people and you will reap the benefits by having a high
performing team and your business will prosper.
Author: Paul Simms is an executive recruiter with 15
years of experience across the Australian and UK markets. He is the
founder of Wright Executive a specialist business within the Accounting and Professional Services sector.
OLARINDE OLUWAFUNMILOLA IFEOLU
ReplyDeleteAs a leader, you must be creative, passionate and possess both the attribute of a leader and a manager in achieving the desired goal of an organization or a team.
Adegoke Saheed Kolade:
ReplyDeleteA leader must not be high handed. he must be able to delegate authority and monitor those he authorize to carry out a particular assignment. Also, he must accept the ideas from his workers.
Every of these qualities listed must be possessed by a good leader in other to have a fruitful and successful administration.OKE MARIAM OLUWASEUN
ReplyDeleteThis article indicates that when carrying out a leadership role, it is important that there is a lay down procedure of achieving the goal of an organisation which followers must follow through hierarchical order
ReplyDeleteADEWOLE ABOSEDE K
As a leader, you must take responsibility on whatsoever, and then ensure that you are always on the winning side
ReplyDeleteas a leader you must take responsibility on whatsoever, and then ensure that you are always on the winning side. AKANGBE OKIKI-JESU CHRISTIANAH
ReplyDeleteManagers are train on a particular field like sales manager, personnel manager, marketing manager and others but leaders can function effectively because he/she has broad knowledge about different fields. I will rather be a good leader than a manager who only work according to the bureaucratic order of the organization
ReplyDeleteOjenike Olusoji Peter: Managers are train on a particular field like sales manager, personnel manager, marketing manager and others but leaders can function effectively because he/she has broad knowledge about different fields. I will rather be a good leader than a manager who only work according to the bureaucratic order of the organization
ReplyDeleteTIJANI LATIFAT IBIDUNNI
ReplyDeleteA manager must be able to give his opinions on what his members should carry. But leaders also should ba able to take responsibilities for their actions they shoul'nt transfer blames.
DURODOLA TAIWO OLUBISI
ReplyDeleteFrom this article, I have been able to understand that managers are just to oversee the business leaders helps to control and ensure that the business is a going concern.
WONDERFUL ARTICLE
ReplyDeleteBOLARINWA ABIODUN IDRIS
ReplyDeleteITS BEST TO BE A GOOD LEADER AS WELL AS A MANAGER
AKANBI OLUBUKOLA ITUNU
ReplyDeleteITS ALWAYS GOOD TO BE A LEADRER AS WELL AS A MANAGER
As a leadership you must be able to take responsibility on any problem that come across in any organization
ReplyDeleteLUKMON BISOLA KANYINSOLA .... Not all leaders are managers as well as not all managers are leaders.
ReplyDeleteADEDIRAN FUNMILOLA ELIZABETH
ReplyDeleteITS GOOD TO BE A LEADER BUT ALSO NECESSARY TO KNOW HOW TO MANAGE AN ORGANISATION
KOLAWOLE BABATUNDE SAMUEL
ReplyDeleteITS BEST TO KNOW HOW TO LEAD AND MANAGE AN ORGANISATION
ADEBIYI WALIU
ReplyDeleteITS BEST TO KNOW HOW WELL TO LEAD YOUR STAFFS
who will lead in an organization must also good in managing
ReplyDeleteleadership and management are vital qualities for a successful business. Adeniyi Busayo Yetunde
ReplyDeletea leader and manager are both have the same task by Shoneye Abosede Adetutu
ReplyDeletea leader and manager must have the same quality in term of personalty by Makinde Dorcas Kehinde
ReplyDeletewho will lead in an organization must also good in managing by Ayelaagbe Busayo Christianah
ReplyDeleteAGBAJE ADESHOLA MICHAEL
ReplyDeleteITS GOOD TO BE AN ACTIVE MANAGER
So you employ a group of guys who you proudly call your team
ReplyDelete