When should you lead and when should you manage?

This age-old question has been asked by many people on our programmes.

Our short answer is…it depends on the situation. Whether you show adequate leadership skills or display excellent management abilities will be determined by the results you are trying to achieve. Management and leadership are like different sides of the same coin, and it’s vital that you choose wisely, or you may be looking at the wrong side. Here’s some thoughts of how to differentiate between the two:

A manager thinks short term, tactically, a leader has a longer term, more strategic focus.
A manager plans how and when, a leader asks “what?” and “how?”
A manager looks at the bottom line, a leader looks to the horizon.
A manager knows the business, a leader knows the customer.
A manager focuses on improving existing products and processes, a leader focuses on the new product and the breakthrough process.
A manager supervises, a leader influences.
A manager builds success through quality, a leader builds success through employees.
A manager sets standards of performance, a leader sets new standards.

You can see that it’s mainly a case of what situation you are in before you choose to adopt a clear leadership style or whether you decide to manage the scenario. A rough guide would be that managers manage tasks and leaders lead people. If you have a report to complete by the end of the week, you manage the time, resources, equipment, planning, organisation and control of the project. You lead the people side of the project by motivating, communicating, giving feed-forward and feed-back, mentoring and coaching the staff who will be helping you achieve the results you are looking for.

Be careful not to mix up the two, though. Management is about planning, control and organisation. People don’t like to have their day planned or controlled for them. Set the results you want clearly and succinctly, then lead the people to achieve those results.

That way, you don’t confuse your people about expectations and objectives. Lead your people, manage your tasks, and everyone will know where they are.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean
Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

So, the World Cup is over, and most people would say the best team won the final. Whatever your viewpoint, we can see from the amount of interest in the finals over the last month that many people follow it all with a passion. As managers, is there anything we can learn from the World Cup that can be applied in our workplaces?

Well, here are a few ideas:

1) Situational leadership will always win through: Managing a team in the World Cup is like leading a short-term project, run by remote teams in a matrix format, not having worked that much with each other before. The roles and responsibilities need to be aligned, and the strengths and skills have to be utilised in the best way.

This obviously didn’t happen with all teams in the tournament. Even Spain didn’t have the best players in all positions, but the spine of the team was skilled and talented enough to compensate for any weaknesses the opposition might expose.

Spain stuck to their game plan, even after they lost their very first game of the tournament. There were no panic buttons pressed, as they knew their strengths would win through.

So, analyse the situation before you make decisions about change and sticking to the game-plan might be more effective than making change for change sake.

2) Variety and adaptability creates winning formulae: This sounds contrary to point 1, but stick with me. If you only have Plan A and no plan B (did I hear someone mention England?) it will only work if you are sure and have proof that this plan is the most effective. If not, and the results will bear you out, you have to have some kind of varied and proactive plan of action to change the situation. Without it, you are stuck up the creek without the proverbial paddle.

3) Commitment and belief drives performance: Watching the style that teams played in the tournament proved that the manager has a key influence on how they perform. You can imagine the dressing room before they go out onto the field, and how the manager is convincing them they have the ability, the will and the confidence to go and do the job. Without this belief in the team, any manager will lose respect and, eventually, the passion from the team.

Whatever your feelings toward sport, it’s plain that we can often pick up good analogies that we can use within a management context. Learn from the successes and failures of the World Cup and you can expand your awareness of how teams can be lead in business.

Well done, Spain! The best team won! Probably!

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Have you been struggling with the concept of leadership lately? Are you unsure of how you should best blend your management responsibilities with your desire to be a leader to your team? Today I’d like to share 7 tips you can use to help enhance your leadership skills while maintaining your status as a strong manager.

1. Always accept responsibility for your actions. Be responsible for the things you say and do on a personal level, during your interactions in social groups or professional organisations, and – of course – in the worlkplace. Accepting responsibility, even for your mistakes, will endear you to your team.
2. Show your enthusiasm and loyalty towards your employer, even when times are tough. Show your team members that you take pride in your job and that you are proud to be an employee of XYZ Organisation. Even in the midst of tough times – like when layoffs are prevalent – you need to keep a positive attitude that your employees can identify with.
3. Make sure you constantly set high, but achievable, standards for your team. The higher your standards, the better your output will be. Both you and your team members will be recognized for constantly completing superior work and you’ll be viewed as the leader who makes it happen.
4. Take some time out to listen to your team members. If an employee comes into your office to talk to you about his day to day activities, listen for a minute and then turn things back to work. If an employee comes to you to talk about a pivotal change in his life – like a divorce or death in the family – take the time to listen and let him know you care. Find balance.
5. Continue to improve your own skills by participating in continuing education classes. Not only will you have better communication and leadership skills, but you’ll be setting a great example for your team members as well.
6. Remain free of stress in the workplace. If you do encounter stress, try to remain calm and composed. Do your best to identify and remove the cause of the stress in your workplace before it affects others.
7. Delegate your authority clearly and in a fair manner. Trust your team members to get the job done right. If you don’t trust them, you should consider taking steps to redevelop your team.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Development

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

I’m going to keep things short and sweet today but I’m going to ask you a hard question and I want you to think about it over the weekend.

Are you a leader?

In my experience, I’ve found that leaders do two main things – and two things only. They have the skill and determination to get things done and they have the ability to inspire and motivate those around them.

Do you get things done?

Do you motivate others?

Take some time to reflect on your performance over the past year. Did it feel like you were pulling teeth when working with your team members or were they glad to work with you? And – there’s a question right there – were they working for you or were they working with you?

So, are you really a leader? And, if not, will you become one this year?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

That’s just the way it is!

Some people seem to take to leadership and managing others like a duck takes to water. Others need to be guided and told what to do.

Now if you get a “follower” in a “leaders” position then this can cause problems!

All too often I see members of staff doing a great job and then they get promoted on the back of their performance.

Note, they get promoted based upon how THEY do the job.

Not their management potential.

Not whether they will be an insiprational leader.

Not whether they will be able to drive the business forward.

No.

The decision is made on their ability to do their current job. Either they are the best at what they do or they have a high profile in the company.

And this is a bad mistake!

Just because someone can sell or manage better than others does not mean that they can lead and motivate others to do so.

It’s a different skill altogether!

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat

The leading authority on management development & management training