Leading and Managing

Ever notice how much energy it takes to try to control a something or someone? Leaders provide direction while managers try to control direction. We know that we can’t control people nor can we control circumstances in a persons life. Leaders understand that surrendering and admitting our limitations frees us to be better leaders. Leadership is based on what we do while management is based on what we do and how we do it. Even a terrific leader, has limits, such as we can’t force people to take responsibility for themselves.

In the last 20 years the needs of leaders has changed. We have people who lead, but are not given official authority over the people they lead. In today’s workforce, loyalty means the employee will look at for his or her self first and the company later. Granted there are still some pockets of the population that may still have employees who are loyal to the company first, but this is a thing of the past, unless the company is taking positive action with employees.

I recently worked with an international company that does a great job examining the people within the company that are doing a good job. They are very proactive in their promotional steps. They have learned that what worked 20 years ago – even 10 years ago isn’t effective today. So they have stopped operating out of habit and started operating with intention. Their intention is to change the reward systems and determine what rewards and recognitions the employees personally value, so that it has meaning. This has involved taking time to meet with employees and to get to learn what employee’s value. In addition, the company has re-examined promotional methods. No longer does a person have to serve time to get a promotion, rather they have to show service and skill. But there is still more that needs to be done. While it sounds like this company has it together, we met because there is a missing piece.

The leaders are moving people into leadership positions in a timelier manner, which pleases the employees who can see the opportunity for growth, but that is where they drop the ball or stop the process. Do you know companies that have great employees that have potential so to reward the person they promote them and then abandon them? This can cause the employee feel unappreciated, which is confusing, because they initial reason the promotion occurred was because he or she was doing a great job, now they are left alone to try to survive. Some companies think that this strategy is an attempt to stop that managerial style approach that says I will tell you what to do each step of the way. Setting them free to sink without assistance isn’t leadership. There is a balance that needs to be found. Yes, a leader needs to realize that it is important to give a person room to grow, so we have to release our grip. We also have to teach future leaders how to release the grip and how to direct people. Leaders are not superheroes or people with special powers. Many of the most effective leaders in the world had no power over anyone, but had the greatest influence.

We can increase energy in a company by properly teaching people who serve in a leadership capacity regardless if they have authority over people or not. For those that get responsibility with authority, there is still another decision to make. Does that responsibility mean that have the necessary training to lead others. A hard dedicated, ambitious employee may just be a hard-dedicated employee but not a groomed effective leader. They may have leadership skills, the emotional intelligence to lead, but may lack the skills to effectively lead a group of people. To often companies unintentionally set people up for failure, because they take the best and then neglect to give them the training needed to assure that they will succeed, thus they have to learn to survive on their own. Human instinct to survive often means that they will survive but may eat up other good employees along the way. This is unintentional, but still it happens too often. Companies set people up in a great office and give them office equipment, but neglect to equip them with training. Some of the excuses are unbelievable. Those employees aren’t in the upper tier of leadership, so they don’t need it, we don’t have a budget for that group. Do you have a budget for hiring, because when leaders without direction lead others the wrong way, you may find yourself having to recruit new members for the team? As a leader we owe it to the people we lead, regardless of where they sit in the company to give them the internal equipment that is needed to assure their success and ultimately to assure our success.

Farmers know that when you want to reap something you must sow it. Why? Because the seeds you plant will reproduce their own kind. But the better care you take of the seeds, the soil and the environment, the better the crop. What are you doing to grow your future leaders? If you are not sure test the soil? Ask the leaders what they need from you and then listen to the answers. Take control of your direction by giving direction to the people who lead others.

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