Effective Leader, Great Manager, or Both?

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Comment by Jack Shaw on July 21, 2011 at 2:07pm

I could write a book.  So much depends on definitions, situations and perhaps, the theories of Charles Darwin. I am convinced leadership should exist at multiple levels within an organization. I managed two training courses, one on Management Development and one on Leadership. The Management course was so limited our senior managers complained while the junior managers thought it was great. The result: we learned it should have been for two separate groups. Later, the Leadership course was designated the appropriate course for the senior managers. It proved to be a great introspective exercise for all concerned but the results of seeing the leadership behaviors we hoped to emerge was impossible to measure except through anecdotes. I found the military promotes leadership rather than managers. Leadership qualities are venerated whereas in some circles they are assumed in senior management. By that, I mean they are leaders in word only. Performance management is tied to program performance, not how well they lead the organizations. A couple of related blogs.

http://managementhelp.org/blogs/training-and-development/2011/04/26...

http://managementhelp.org/blogs/training-and-development/2011/03/10...

Comment by Doris Tirone on August 30, 2010 at 11:10am

You are so right Erin! "Part of the problem is that leadership development programs are rarely tied to supporting systems such as performance management". For decades, employers have viewed employee development initiatives in a vacuum. It has been the rare (albeit successful) employer who has taken the "wholistic approach" to resource development (e.g., Southwest Airlines). Leaders can be developed from those who possess innate qualities that can be brought out through nurture and linkage with a uintegrated employee development program. Finding "potentials" in one's organization might be possible but developing them successfully requires so much more than participation in a few courses.

Comment by Erin Duggins on August 29, 2010 at 7:46pm

Part of the problem is that leaders feel that they can attend a course and presto -- they are new and improved leaders. Another part of the problem is that leadership development programs are rarely tied to supporting systems such as performance management, such that leaders are then expected to demonstrate measurable results based on improved leadership styles and organizational climate that promote shared vision, values, trust, communication, and collaboration among staff.

Comment by Martha L. Ayerdis, MBA on August 27, 2010 at 10:58pm

I taught Leadership Development in my last job. As a class with good materials it was great. The main problem for me as a mentor, coach and leader was the results. My supervisor, the president of the company was expecting miracles. The senior management team learned the theory and passed the test. The practice was a totally disaster! I ended frustrated...but for me it was impossible to make miracles. As the article says "if the horse cannot or won't drink, eas one's leadership effective? :-)

Comment by Warren Master on July 30, 2010 at 3:39pm

Leadership behavior is part of cultural behavior - part of the language we learn in our families, neighborhoods, school rooms, play groups and sports teams, AND organizations we work for. Sure, our individual genetic cocktail enters into the picture, but I suspect most homo sapiens have the capacity to acquire a facility in this language if given the opportunity and encouragement to try. So...it may be time to change the conversation if oo many individuals are behaving sheepishly - not taking responsibility for what's happening.

Comment by Bill Brantley on July 21, 2010 at 9:57pm

@Erin and @Doris - A book you two might be interested in is Fairholm's The Techniques of Inner Leadership. According to Fairholm, inner leaders are essentially the middle managers in the organization who have the responsibility for implementing the strategic vision of the upper leadership. Fairholm argues that the primary tasks of inner leaders is to build trust, build networks, and to empower employees.

The reason that I ask about a management-leadership continuum is that I believe project managers work on this type of model. Being a certified project manager myself, I have been trained in the quantitative hard skills of controlling a project while being trained in the soft skills of team building and stakeholder management. I've been working (off and on) a blended leadership/manager model for project leadership. That is why I was particularly interested in this posting.

Comment by Doris Tirone on July 21, 2010 at 9:37pm

The top five leadership traits (out of 20) identified in the book The Leadership Challenge are (1) Honesty, (2) Forward-Looking, (3) Competence, (4) Inspirational, and (5) Intelligent. According to Mark Shead in Leadership501, people who exhibit these qualities inspire confidence; these traits have also been strongly correlated with the desire by others to follow their lead. While I agree in part, that leadership traits can be learned, it is impossible to make people follow one's lead unless one's demonstration of these traits is sincere and genuine.

Comment by Doris Tirone on July 21, 2010 at 4:43pm

Erin ~ I whole-heartedly agree with #3 of your last comment! Additionally, I like the idea you presented that perhaps we should focus on "developing leaders at multiple levels in the organization and from the minute one is employed by an agency". This is one of the golden keys to Succession Planning, to identify employees with potential and start early to develop them for future opportunities.

Comment by Erin Duggins on July 21, 2010 at 2:26pm

Interesting questions Bill. My thoughts on your questions are as follows:

1. I do believe that great leaders share similar practices and behaviors, and that the best practices and characteristics to use depend on the situation in which the leader finds him/herself.

2. I don't know if I think about it in the context of manager-leader continuum. The practices and behaviors are definitely complimentary. Managers can be good leaders and leaders can be good managers. Further, a person does not need positional authority in order to be a leader. Maybe part of our struggle in government is that there is a substantial focus on developing people already in leadership positions instead of developing leaders at multiple levels in the organization and from the minute one is employed by an agency.

3. I do believe in situational leadership in that there is no such thing as the "one best" (or "one worst") leadership style, but rather, the situation determines what leadership style is the most appropriate. A leader should have a number of styles in his/her arsenal to use at a given point in time.

Hope that helps!

Comment by Bill Brantley on July 21, 2010 at 2:07pm

1) Do all leaders have the same characteristics?
2) Is there a manager-leader continuum?
3) Does the situation make the leader?

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