Leadership Snobbery? The Need To Distinguish Between Management and Leadership

Have you ever heard one of the following?


* "Are you referring to leadership or management?"
* "I don't do management training, I do leadership development training."
* "We have a great group of managers. They really know how to execute. We just need more good leaders."

Why do we have a need to separate management and leadership? To be a good manager, one needs to have leadership skills and values, and vice versa.

How many effective managers are poor listeners? How many good leaders don’t complete things when they say they will? In the real world, the fundamental characteristics of both leadership and management overlap considerably. Good managers lead people, and as good managers/leaders grow, they typically acquire the skills of higher level managers/leaders.

Before making a decision, does a manager stop and think, “Am I managing now, or am I leading?” “Would my decision be different if I were a leader versus a manager?”

Some would have us believe that leadership exists on a higher plain. Management is a base skill, whereas leadership is “the next level” – skills reserved for the great. We appear fixated with the glamorous - the need to be visionaries, innovators, and master strategists.

Let’s face it, leadership sells. Management does not. Management is boring, right? We all want to be leaders! Unfortunately, this brand of thinking often results in the neglecting of fundamental management and leadership skills. These basics are skipped over because the focus is shifted to grander leadership pursuits that unfortunately can not possibly be achieved without the proper foundation.

When we prop up leadership, are we really encouraging people to achieve something better, or are we simply lowering the bar for existing managers and continuing to slide toward mediocrity? Can a person now be a good manager while possessing a fraction of the skills previously required?

Let’s break down the artificial wall between management and leadership. Let’s shed the leadership snobbery, re-hoist the bar and turn our focus toward turning out better “Leadagers.”

Nick McCormick is a Principal with Be Good Ventures, LLC. Would you like to improve your management performance? Go to http://BeGoodVentures.com/ to download a FREE file containing 5"x7" training cards based on Nick's book Lead Well and Prosper: 15 Successful Strategies for Becoming a Good Manager. Act on some of the tips today! Be Good!

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