Leadership Vs. Management

Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis said, "leadership is doing the right things; management is doing things right." I believe is an idea that great leaders understand and put into action every day.

To bring it down to Earth, I like to compare this to golf. There's no single right way to play the game. It's true there are rules that define the game, but nobody is stopping you from playing the way you want. You could even drive with your putter if you feel so inclined.

For me, I only go so far as to employ what I've been told is a characteristic waggle before a shot. I feel like that's the right thing to do — it helps me stay loose, focused, and at the top of my game.

What's the Right Thing To Do?

To be a leader, you must do the right thing and inspire others to do the same. The requirement for that is to know what the right thing is.

In a constantly shifting environment with different priorities and goals every day, you need more than policies, strategies, and processes. All these things are management tools — they help you and others know how to do things correctly. 

You need vision to know what the right thing is for a specific situation. Vision is something that goes beyond temporary goals and establishes a direction and a priority for all your actions.

Encouraging Guidance-Seeking vs. Instruction-Seeking

If you are like most leaders, there's probably a difference between those two categories. Working on this behavior is one of the most efficient ways to practice leading vs. managing.

The people in your organization should know enough about the rules to perform their duties correctly. What they might not understand perfectly is how their actions can further your vision of success — it's your job to help them.

Communicating your vision, offering the right types of feedback, and leading by example are all potential tactics to help you become less of a manager and more of a leader in this situation. The exact approach will vary. In other words, you'll have to choose the right thing to do.

Keep Practicing 

Committing to constant practice improves leaders — just like it does for golfers. Nobody is born with the ability to hit a hole in one.

Nobody is born with perfect judgment when it comes to motivating and directing others. However, when you dedicate yourself to improvement, you'll soon be able to make this leading vs. managing distinction as if it's second nature.

What kind of questions and issues do you want your team to bring to your attention? Which issues are they bringing to you now?