Rick: “What is your job?”
Frank: “I manage a team of software developers.”
Rick: “So you are a manager?”
Frank: “Yes.”
Rick: “So, what is your work exactly?”
Frank: “Well, I define the projects we tackle and then I lead the team to make sure we are successful.”
Rick: “So you are a leader!”
Frank: “Yes.”
Rick: “I thought you said you were a manager. How come you now say you are a leader? I am lost!
Frank: “Well, as they say, good managers lead and good leaders manage!”
Dear managers and leaders!
As you can see, sometimes it can be confusing to distinguish between managers and leaders. The theory says that managing is applying techniques to conduct or supervise something (as a business) while leading is defined as being at the front, showing the way. Those are quite different, but as you probably understand, they are inter-related.
Take a leader for instance. The leader is at the forefront, showing the way to people following him or her. How can he makes sure that the people following him are going in the right direction and doing the right thing if he does not know and apply the right set of techniques to manage his followers. A leader who does not manage is just a poor visionary without much chance to succeed in his enterprises.
Now take a manager. A good manager will know the art and science of ensuring that everyone on a team goes in the same direction. He will know how to ensure that the right work is done, that the business is running smoothly. However, if he does not know where to go, if he cannot be at the forefront and define success for his team, then his team will lack purpose, focus, and will never attain a goal that is significant.
As you can see, managing without leading, or leading without managing, are both driving a team to failure. If you are managing a team, you must be able to define strategic goals for the team and communicate them to the team. Also, if you are leading a team, you must be able to put in place the right mechanisms to supervise your team, ensuring that it performs to its maximum capacity and is really following your lead!
What about you, dear leaders and managers? Are you leading without managing? Are you managing without leading?
Until next time,
Remi Cote
I believe that the two aspects do not have to be embodied in the same person in the team. One can be excellent at the managing aspects and yet lacks the visionary touch but can still be very successful, if s/he knows who/how to tap someone else to pull the team through. On the other hand, a leader without the managing aspects can do well also as long as s/he has a trusting member of the team who can help with those managerial tasks. It goes back to "doing what you do best" instead of trying too hard to do what is not inate to you and just being mediocre in the end.
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