Developing Future Leadership Skills: Leadership vs. Management
Ever seen a sandwich thrown across a boardroom table? A working lunch was scheduled. The lettuce, grated cheese and ham skidded across the table like rocks on a pond, thrown by a manager directed towards colleagues in frustration. This is a situation experienced by one of the directors of The Woohoo Company. This act violates the respect and human decency we would expect within the workplace and would be considered unlawful and a risk to the psychosocial health of employees under new legislation.
To be clear, this was NOT leadership it wasn’t even management. It was a bully trying to motivate his employees by way of intimidation. Have you been managed by a technical expert who lacks insightful leadership skills and emotional intelligence? Many have; however you may have been lucky to have had a manager that was inspiring and did everything they could to encourage and develop you. These are the leaders we would follow.
In this blog we will explore:
Key leadership skills
Resources to support self-exploration and growth
Mates to Managers program material to support you and your teams in become the leaders of today's workforce
In the dynamic landscape of modern organisations, the terms "leadership" and "management" are often used interchangeably, yet they entail distinct roles and skill sets. While both are crucial for organisational success, understanding the nuances between them is pivotal. Moreover, aspiring leaders must cultivate specific skills to excel in their roles and effectively navigate the challenges of the ever-changing business environment.
Distinguishing Leadership from Management:
Leadership goes beyond authority; it is about inspiring and influencing others to achieve a common vision. Leaders focus on long-term goals, innovation, and fostering a culture of empowerment and creativity. They lead by example, setting high standards and encouraging their team members to unleash their potential.
On the other hand, management involves the coordination and execution of day-to-day tasks to ensure the smooth functioning of operations. Managers emphasise efficiency, operational structure, and adherence to procedures. They oversee processes, allocate resources, and mitigate risks to achieve predetermined objectives within specified timelines.
While leadership and management are complementary, they operate on different levels. Leadership is about inspiring change, while management is about controlling outcomes. Effective leadership cultivates a sense of purpose and direction, fostering innovation and adaptability, whereas efficient management ensures that tasks are completed promptly and resources are utilised optimally.
Cultivating Future Leadership Skills
As the business landscape evolves, the demand for visionary leaders continues to escalate. To prepare for the challenges ahead, aspiring leaders must hone a diverse set of skills:
Emotional Intelligence (EI): The ability to understand and manage one's emotions and empathise with others is paramount for effective leadership. Future leaders should cultivate EI to build strong relationships, resolve conflicts, and foster a positive work environment. To understand yourself more, in our Mates to Managers program, participants complete some key psychometric tests to understand self, more and where growth and improvement can be explored.
Adaptability: In an era of rapid change, adaptability is non-negotiable. Leaders must embrace uncertainty, navigate ambiguity, and pivot strategies when necessary. By fostering a culture of flexibility and resilience, they can steer their teams through turbulent times.
Strategic Thinking: Leaders must possess a strategic mindset to envision the future, anticipate market trends, and capitalise on emerging opportunities. By aligning organisational objectives with a coherent strategy, they can chart a course for sustainable growth and competitive advantage.
Effective Communication: Communication lies at the heart of leadership. Future leaders should hone their ability to articulate their vision, actively listen to feedback, and communicate with clarity and conviction. By fostering open dialogue and transparency, they can foster trust and alignment within their teams. Acknowledging and understanding that people in your teams come from a different value-based system and upbringing is important to optimise communication. For example, not looking at the person could show signs of not actively listening to your team member – this may also be due to time being poor or busy with work – then simply timetabling a future time for conversation with team members can be booked in. Great communication can help set clear direction and expectations, a framework such as CPQQRT can support with this. The ability to have difficult conversations in a graceful and respectful manner is a skillset that takes time and practice.
Empowerment: Empowering others is a hallmark of transformative leadership. Future leaders should delegate authority, encourage autonomy, and empower their team members to take ownership of their work. By nurturing a culture of empowerment, they can unlock the full potential of their teams and foster a sense of ownership and accountability. Involving teams in the decision making will further empower their capabilities and foster growth for future roles and opportunities. People don’t know what they don’t know, you may be an expert in your field, but how people learn and absorb knowledge is different – identifying this before team members start to not deliver is important. Drawing on research and experience, Goleman has identified six distinct leadership styles that managers can adapt, depending on the situations and the needs of their team members. He first introduced these styles in his 2000 Harvard Business Review article, “Leadership That Gets Results,” and they have since been widely recognised as an essential framework for effective leadership. The six leadership styles include:
Coercive leadership style, which entails demanding immediate compliance.
Authoritative leadership style, which is about mobilising people toward a vision.
Pacesetting leadership style, which involves expecting excellence and self-direction.
Affiliative leadership style, which centers around building emotional bonds.
Democratic leadership style, which involves creating consensus.
Coaching leadership style, which focuses on developing people for the future.
Multiplier Of People - Leaders who aren’t able to empower their teams could become accidental diminishers and would often find that their teams have difficulty in repeating tasks taught to them. Coaching, pacesetting and democratic leadership styles would empower teams to constantly practice and create a sense of autonomy within themselves. This would then create a space of trust that the work would be done to a quality standard within the time required – creating multipliers within the organisation.
To find out if you’re a multiplier or an accidental diminisher try out the quiz by the Wiseman Group.
Continuous Learning: The pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong journey. Future leaders should cultivate a growth mindset, embrace new ideas, and actively seek opportunities for learning and development. By staying abreast of industry trends and best practices, including understanding the fundamentals of management compliance, they can adapt to evolving challenges and drive innovation within their organisations.
Resilience: Leadership is not without its setbacks and challenges. Future leaders should cultivate resilience to weather adversity, bounce back from failures, and persevere in the face of obstacles. By demonstrating resilience, they can inspire confidence and motivate their teams to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. A locus of control is beneficial to understand and manage, a healthy understanding of control and where certain controllable and non-controllable factors may sit. We need to aim for a healthy adaptive locus of control and not be maladaptive = Not having the ability to change to suit different conditions.
Ethical Leadership: Integrity and ethical conduct are the cornerstones of effective leadership. Future leaders should lead by example, uphold ethical standards, and make decisions guided by principles and values. By fostering a culture of integrity and accountability, they can earn the trust and respect of their team members and stakeholders. Being on the pulse with legislative changes is important, for example, positive duties implemented by the Australian Human Rights Commission states a complete elimination of bullying and harassment in the workplace. It is up to the Managers of teams to ensure this doesn’t occur, or severe penalties could be experienced by both the Manager and the organisation.
In conclusion, while leadership and management are distinct concepts, both are essential for organisational success. Aspiring leaders must recognise the nuances between them and cultivate the skills necessary to excel in their roles. By embracing emotional intelligence, adaptability, strategic thinking, effective communication, empowerment, multiplying capability, continuous learning, resilience, and ethical leadership, they can navigate the complexities of the modern business landscape and inspire positive change within their organisations. Essentially, building great teams, attaining positive outcomes and growing sound and ethical businesses, without losing their lunch!
Key differences
Management is how you do things:
- Technical skills, planning, processes, rosters, schedules and goals.
Leadership is about why + people
- Engaging people by connecting everything and thinking about how to do it better.
The journey to becoming a great leader is not easy, but with dedication, self-awareness, and a commitment to growth, future leaders can rise to the challenge and leave a lasting legacy of excellence. Our Mates to Managers program follows 4 modules across 4 months that help employees become managers and leaders of today’s workforce.
