What makes a great leader, this is something I think about on a regular basis, since I have seen great leaders and not so great leaders. What I see the most on a regular basis are individuals that have the title of manager, however are poor leaders. These leaders lack the proper training in motivation, communication, problem solving abilities, subject knowledge and ability to create a vision that everyone believes in. These manager believe that just because they have the title that it makes them an effective leader. Leaders need to be able to articulate a companies vision, properly communicate with their employees and motivate them to accomplish a companies goals and values. Without the proper motivation employees become disenfranchised and lose their way. It is the responsibility of a company to hire leaders that have the ability to communicate the companies vision to its employees. Fortunately their are only three manger at my current company that are not leaders. To there credit my company is being very successful in bringing in new leadership capable of providing our employees with what they need to be successful.
William Paul Bosanac says
The definition of Result according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “to happen because of something else that happened or was done before : to be caused by something else”. One of the key characteristics of a manager is that they are results driven. They are someone who was given their authority by the nature of their role. They ensure work gets done, focus on day to day tasks, and manage the activities with the sole focus on getting results by following a method that has already been established. Most often managers have a more directive and controlling approach by being able to organize people to accomplish tasks and get results. Although there may be opportunities to solve problems, most of the time they are short term fixes that aid in the activities to reach the short term goals. The definition of problem according to Merriam-Webster is “something that is difficult to deal with : something that is a source of trouble, worry, etc.” and the definition of solve is “to find a way to deal with or end a problem”. This is a major characteristic of a leader. Leaders are very focused on problem solving and change. Recognizing that continual improvement can be achieved in their people and their activities is what differentiates a leader from a manager. Problem solving from a leadership prospective focuses on long term vision and the big picture. Managers tend to have employees more often than would a leader. We all have disagreed with a manager’s decision from time to time, and being that we want to keep our job we suck it up and complete the task given. The priority of the manager is not to get buy in from the employee, it is to be sure that whatever task is needed to get done, gets completed. The manager may assign it to someone who can complete it more efficiently even though that employee is over qualified to do that task. It doesn’t matter to the manager, as long as they get the results they need to meet quota. The employees are looked at as tools that are used to get a job done. As a leader you want to gain followers. Presenting your vision and influencing individuals or groups to see and believe in the ultimate goal. A leader would look at that employee that was overqualified and look to develop them to reach their full potential. This will better the organization rather than solely looking at the short term task. Leaders will motivate and encourage individuals to better themselves which in turn will facilitate a trust and belief in the leader which turns that individual into a follower.My current manager at times speaks as a leader. She uses all of the buzz words, reiterates that there opportunities to solve existing problems, and speaks of the future of the industry. However, all her actions reveal her true identity as a manager. Results are ultimately what drives her and it is evident as I watch the interactions between her and her employees within the group. There are individuals who are much more suited for a research and development role. They are very methodical, take their time in completing tasks ensuring accuracy. When my manger assigns a task to them in which they don’t necessarily agree with I can see the disapproval in their mannerisms. I believe she overlooks this as she is truly only concerned with the bottom line. I know there are individuals who are better suited for these tasks and would actually much rather be doing that type of work though they are not assigned these tasks. Most recently there was an upcoming audit in which many things needed completed, most of which are to be kept up with on a normal basis. Due to the demanding production schedule and my manager only concerned with the results, she does not recognize or care that this causes a very stressful time for her employees. This is not the first time this audit has happened as it is an annual occurrence. Feedback from some of the longer term employees has proven that this is the way it has been for years. If she truly was a leader she would implement a plan to create a more streamlined and less stressful audit preparation period. In Warren Bennis’s, On Becoming a Leader: it states” The manager administers and the leader innovates”. I believe this statement sums up the true identity of my manager.According to Peter Drucker, “Leadership is doing the right things; management is doing things right”. Holding true to your convictions is what makes a true leader. When you know something is not right and it needs to be changed, you can either stand tall and attempt to do what’s right and make things better for all parties involved, or focus on the results and get the job done whether right or wrong.
References
Bennis, W. (2009). On becoming a leader. New York, NY: Basic Books/Perseus. ISBN: 9780465014088
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.). (2005). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
Drucker, Peter. Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/peter_drucker.html