Are leadership and management different? Management guru Peter Drucker is credited with saying, “Leaders do the right things and managers do things right.” Let’s tear the idea down a bit, assuming you need to establish some fundamental components for your business to reach its full potential (the right things). These include:
- Vision and strategy: Where are we going, and how will we get there?
- Culture building: How will we think, feel and act?
- Team building: What kind of structure and talent do we need?
- Score keeping: What do we need to monitor to know if we’re winning?
It takes leadership to facilitate the answers to these questions.
You also need people who are good at managing day-to-day operations to align with these fundamentals (doing things right). Managers are focused on overseeing tactical initiatives; providing discipline that aligns with the culture; training and mentoring the team; and tracking and managing by the metrics.
When I started my first company, Landscape Techniques, in 1984, I wasn’t thinking about being a leader. I was thinking about survival. As the company grew, I felt the calling of the team around me to lead. As my businesses grew and my role changed, I realized I needed others to help me manage the day-to-day. In other words, I was better at laying the rail than I was at driving the train. I learned to surround myself with the people that were strong where I was not.
Are you a leader, a manager or both?
