What does it take to be an effective leader? How have the principles of leadership evolved? Mike Manes, with a little help from his friends, provides multiple perspectives on the roles that leaders must play in order to win.
About 35 years ago in a Political Science class, Dr. Campbell, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, stated that 'plagiarism is copying from one source; research is copying from more than one source.' By the professor’s definition, this is the best researched article I’ve ever written. It’s also been the easiest — since most of the work was done by people better educated, wiser, experienced, and respected than I.
Robert Frost said, 'Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled — and that has made all the difference.'
The world contains many managers, but few leaders. I believe that leaders select 'the road less traveled' and managers walk the well-worn path. Both roles are necessary — both add value. The problem is that the individuals who try to walk both paths get lost in the woods!
The philosopher, Anonymous, once said, 'You lead people and manage things!'
In times of abundance we need managers to create and maintain processes — to inventory the excess. Count what we have. Control the status quo! Managers say, 'If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!' 'Let’s not reinvent the wheel.' 'We’ve always done it this way.' Managers are about efficiency — 'doing things right' (Peter Drucker).
Management is about how: 'in what manner or way' (Webster’s 9th New Collegiate Dictionary).
Leadership is about why: 'for what cause, reason, or purpose' (Webster’s 9th New Collegiate Dictionary).
In times of conflict, competition, war, discovery, pioneering, and conquest, we need leaders to nurture people and create systems. Leaders identify current reality and define a future ideal. They then mobilize, organize, and energize their followers to build a bridge between these two points and to cross that bridge.
Leaders believe, 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself.' 'The buck stops here.' 'I have a dream.' 'If you start to take Vienna, take Vienna.' 'Let’s roll.' Leaders are about effectiveness — 'doing the right things' (Peter Drucker).
Today there’s much ambiguity about the role of leadership. Many people positioned as leaders are actually serving in a management role. Most of these people have what it takes to lead. Unfortunately, they’ve been kidnapped by the status quo, the comfort zone, the urgent, or the organization to accept the 'safer' role of management.
In my opinion the role and responsibilities of a leader are easy to define, but hard to create. The leader is:
- A Dream Catcher: the leader must have a Vision (a future ideal) of sufficient grandeur to attract and motivate followers, together with a commitment to this Vision and the discipline to pursue it.
- An Organizational Architect: the leader must build a foundation that will define and support the organizational infrastructure and operations. Every member of the organization should be able to view this foundation and infrastructure and determine if they 'fit'. This foundation includes the Vision, Values, Mission, and Standards of the Organization.
- An Environmental Engineer: the leader must remove toxins from inside the organization and protect it from poisons in its environment.
- A Coach: the leader must find or develop the people to build the infrastructure, design its systems, and operate the processes. Coaches condition, train, develop, reward, and discipline the team, write the game plan, and scout the competition. Coaches know their team in the context of the game — when to substitute, when to kick butt, and when to pat it. They control the pace of the game and influence its outcome.
Consider these definitions of leadership:
- Max DePree: 'the first role of the leader is to define reality.'
- Henry Kissinger: 'the task of the leader is to get people from where they are to where they have not been.'
- Peter Drucker: 'the one absolute of a leader is followers.'
Let me offer a reason for the ambiguity in the role of leaders today: followers have changed! Yesterday’s world and its organizations were built by the generation that won World War II ('to the victors go the spoils.'). These leaders were trained in the military for war. Command and control was their mantra — and it worked. They were able to lead and/or follow, as needed.
Leaders in today’s world are the children of the WWII generation. We were the hippies. We challenged the system. We rebelled against command and control. We’re more diverse in demographics (women, people of color, cultures, etc.) We believe in collaboration and consensus building. We were trained to manage.
As the leaders of today (and tomorrow), we — and our successors — need to understand our roles and meet the expectations and requirements they create. If we’re to lead an organization, our responsibility is to define and defend the vision. We must address the organizational why. This isn’t about consensus — it’s about our foundation and focus.
Once we’ve defined the why, we must make it reality by processes, teams, and managers. This is the time to seek collaboration and consensus. This is the how ('there’s more than one way to skin a cat.'). Diversity in leadership creates chaos. Diversity in teams that operate processes creates order through consensus and involvement.
If you, as a leader (or your organization, as a group) are struggling, you must remove any ambiguity by clarifying the rules and roles. Leaders establish the Vision, Values, Mission, and Standards — the why! Managers and their teams design and develop processes —the how.
Diversity in team building and creation of processes is important. It’s necessary to dialogue, discuss, debate, dissent, define, etc. However, once all voices have been heard and the group decides the best processes to achieve the Mission, every member of the group must follow through with uniform, disciplined, and focused commitment.
Let these world leaders close this article for me!
Winston Churchill said that groupthink leads to 'weak and faltering decisions, or rather indecisions. When you take the most gallant soldier, the most intrepid airman, and the most audacious sailor, put them at a table together, what do you get? The sum total of their fears.' (Dale Dauten, Beware of the Conference Room, 10/08/00)
Margaret Thatcher said, 'Consensus is the absence of leadership.'
Lead on! Let’s roll!