Leadership Challenge of the Modern Corporation

by Jose Acevedo, S4 Consulting

Managing and leading are critical but different practices that enable the modern executive to be effective. Understanding the implications of these distinctions is inherent for someone who finds himself or herself at the top, as the person held accountable for the performance and results of many people.

A dilemma most executives will face is when their old strategy for dealing with increasing complexity and information is not sufficient for leading change, gaining commitment or transforming the way people work.  Failing to shift from manager to leader is like deep-sea fishing with bows and arrows: it doesn’t work.

You can’t manage your way into leadership.

It’s not that we aren’t capable of shifting our behavior.  It’s that we fall in love with our previous recipes for success.  We think that what has worked for us up until now (managing) will continue to do so into the future.  As a result, when faced with the uncomfortable uncertainty brought by change, we revert to our old habits instead of developing new leadership skills. We try to “manage” our way through the change by relying on our routines of efficiency.  For some of us, that means getting passionately involved with busywork; for others, it’s controlling our way back into our comfort zones.

You can’t lead your way into management.

Mischief can also occur when we try to lead our way into management. There are situations that call for the discipline and persistence inherent in management practices. The executive who is a weak manager risks having an inspired, future-focused organization that is not prepared for term wins and risks not being viable in the long run.

How do you know when to manage and when to lead?

The adept executive distinguishes when to use the skills of a manager and when to call forth the abilities of a leader. For example, as a leader, the ability to articulate a desired future for the business and getting involved in the messy work of aligning and engaging people in addition to staying inspired through the process. This same leader must then have the capacity, as a manager, to coordinate action through planning, staffing and prioritizing with his team.
What helps to know when to act as a manager or as a leader is subtle: it is noticing that the momentum of habit has most of us defaulting into a managing mode, instead of looking at and responding appropriately to what we’re facing. This is equal parts of letting go of old habits and creating new ones.

© S4 Consulting