Isn’t it Important to Have Leadership at all Levels of Your Business?

This week I am getting ready to make my annual trip to the Global Institute of Leadership Development (GILD) in Palm Desert, and I have a wonderful group of leaders I will be coaching, as I do each year, as part of the Institute.

In today’s post I want to quickly discuss leadership in general, and specifically the aspect of leading and managing others.  Recently I have been participating in a discussion with the Harvard Business Review group.  The discussion has gone on for months now about the essential difference between Managers and Leaders. I have taken the discussion into a pathway that disputes whether we can draw a distinction like that. Ten years ago when Bridging Associates was founded, my partner and I created a questionnaire and discussion about the distinctions between managers and leaders.  I think that distinction no longer exists in the same way.

A manager is a leader and a leader must learn to manage.  Leadership is a behavior not just a role and I think we have missed opportunities to develop leadership at all levels.

As a consultant working with teams and across functional lines, one issue that continually arises is the difficulty once a stellar contributor is promoted to a management role.  Leadership can only be successful when communication and understanding is achieved. A stellar contributor knows how to get things done and usually has a record of achievement that has earned them the promotion to manager or director.

What is missing is knowing how to achieve through others, and that takes development of the ability to connect through communication.  In addition, there is an expansion in mindset that allows for the manager and leader to be fulfilled by others.

I look forward to corresponding with you more next week and to the further discussion of leadership and management as a package using strategic partnership in the new business environment.

In the meantime,  do you have any questions, challenges, or successes you would like to share? Please be sure to leave a comment. I would enjoy hearing from you! – Patricia