Management Skills vs Leadership Skills

If you want to start an argument in any group that includes managers (whether newly appointed or well seasoned), just ask the difference between management and leadership. Personally, I think there’s a lot of nonsense talked around this subject. Here’s my take: leadership is a management skillset.

One of the reasons life is tough when you’ve just entered the world of management is that you must learn so many different skills, and you must learn them on the job because the work of the department can’t stop or slow down to wait for you to learn. I’ve already talked about the importance of getting to know your people, and putting emphasis on that in the early days after your appointment, so perhaps you think I’m now contradicting myself. But no, I’m not.

Paying attention to the personalities, styles, needs and wants of the people who report to you will help you use their skills and talents to get the work of the department done. That, my friend, is what management is all about. Is it leadership? Yes, it is. But it’s also management.

You’ll find great leaders at all levels in the workplace, but here’s a thought to ponder: you can be a great leader without being a manager, but you can’t be a great manager without being a leader. That’s because leading is a management skill, and it’s just one of the many skills you’ll need to master to be successful in your chosen career.

What Kind of Manager Do You Want to Be?

I’m not talking here about the function of your team, whether you want to be in HR or Production. And I’m assuming you want to be a “good” manager, whatever your definition of good might be.

I’m thinking more of the management style you want to adopt, the personal traits you’d like to develop as a manager. You need to think about this early in your management career, so that you can use your answers to help guide your day-to-day work. I call this your “Management Belief Statement” and I recommend you create one for yourself. Here’s how to do it.

First, think of some good and bad managers to whom you’ve reported in the past. What, in your mind, made them good or bad managers? What were the personal traits, styles and habits that worked for them or against them? Take some time to think about this and write down your thoughts. Now consider how you can incorporate the good and avoid the bad in your own management style.

Pretend it’s a year from now. What would you like your people to say about their experience of working with you as their manager? Do you want to be seen as fair minded? Confident? Strong? Friendly? Commanding? Collaborative? Helpful? Encouraging? Add your own ideas here.

Whatever qualities you’ve chosen, think about how they would express or manifest themselves. What would make someone consider you to be a helpful, confident or fair minded boss? What would be the actions that demonstrate these qualities? When you’ve given some time and thought to this, you’re ready to compose your Management Belief Statement. Use your own words, but these suggestions might help you begin:

• I will lead my team by example. That means …
• When people come to me for help …
• My relationship with my team will …
• My relationship with my peers and colleagues will …

Nobody else need see your statement, unless you want to make it public. But do keep it in a place where you can see it and refer to it often. Ask yourself if your actions are congruent with your statement. If not, what should you do about it? When you have a difficult decision to make, your Management Belief Statement can help you make the choice that is right in your own eyes. In challenging situations, knowing your decision was in keeping with your own convictions can help you sleep at night.

Set Expectations with Your “Hello” Meeting

The very definition of managing is getting the work done through the efforts of other people. When you first take up the reins of your new job, you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that has to be done, but remember a great deal of that work is done by others. Unless told otherwise, they will carry on doing their jobs as before.

So in the beginning, you need to concern yourself not so much about tasks and functions as to the people who report to you. You need to start building relationships with them all as soon as possible. Whether you have been promoted from within or hired from outside, it’s a good idea to meet with your people early in the game. If possible, call the meeting within an hour or two of the announcement of your appointment. Why? Because people will immediately begin to speculate about you, your style, your competence, your personality; it’s better for you to connect personally with them so that you can have some influence over how they respond to you.

What will you talk about at this all-important first meeting? Well, whatever it is the meeting won’t be long. Smile, be pleasant, show confidence and optimism, shake hands with people and ask their names. Tell them a bit about where you’ve come from, and that you are glad to be working with them. If you have heard positive things about the group, pass those along. Be upbeat, talking about how you expect the team to succeed and to be even more effective than in the past. Encourage people to bring their concerns and contributions to you, tell them that while you can’t promise to deal with everything at once, you will commit to keeping them informed. Tell them you look forward to connecting with each of them individually over the coming days — and then be sure you do that.

Use the term “we” more than “I”. This creates a feeling of inclusion, that you are all in this together. Too many “I” references, on the other hand suggest a controlling attitude, which naturally makes people nervous.

Of course, what you say is only the beginning. People are often concerned about management changes, and the true test comes when you actually act on your words, do what you say you’ll do. The initial meeting will set expectations of you and the future of the team, so be sure your actions are congruent with your words. That’s the beginning of trust.

If You Want a Thing Done Right…

No, you don’t have to do it yourself! New managers often fall into this trap, and it’s not a good thing.

When you’re just starting as a manager, it’s only natural to want to keep tight control over everything. You want to make sure everything is done well, and you’re not sure you can trust anyone else to do it. But doing everything yourself is bad on so many levels:

• People don’t like feeling they are not trusted, and resentment will build against you.
• People will be left doing only the routine, easy tasks, and the good ones will be bored out of their minds.
• You will be more stressed than you need to be, because you are doing other people’s jobs.
• People will never learn new skills, and you will never get the best out of them.

What’s the answer? Delegation. Delegation is a manager’s best friend, and you need to learn to do it well. In the next few posts I’ll be giving you some tips on specifically how to delegate in order to be more effective yourself and at the same time to empower your people. Stay tuned!

« Previous Page