The King is dead, Long live the King!
In today's technology careers, bosses are their own worst nightmare. Every talented person I work with is empowered. Bosses turn empowerment into entitlement. Each little king rules his own cubicle domain. Master of all he surveys! Rather than being the boss, the effective leader levels the playing field. But, by refusing to be the king, he does away with the little kingdoms. The difference between the bombastic tyrant and the energetic leader is that the leader has some humility.
Be Quick to Apologize.
In almost any conflict, I can find a justification for my actions. With some introspection, its easy to find some self deception in that justification. If you've wronged one of your employees, apologize. Sincerely. Being a leader has very little to do with being smugly "right" about a conflict.
Practice Non Entitlement
You are not entitled to respect. You don't deserve a better parking space. Your desk should not be nicer. Your chair should not be more Aeron-ish. Your designs are not sublime. Your ideas are not faultless. You don't get the last chocolate munchkin. Your salary doesn't make you correct.
There is a thin line between refusing to be king and lack of leadership and direction. Proper management is a skill and almost totally unrelated to leadership.
A leader knows what direction is best and rallies groups behind them. Sure they can be wrong, but they supply the fuel for the late nights and early morning commitments.
A manager understands how to balance goals and priorities in order to guide people doing work to best execute the goals set forth - whether they be project goals, employee career goals, or handed down from a deity on stone tablets.
Well balanced groups need both... a leader to point them in the right direction and set goals AND a manager who properly coordinates the dance to achieve those goals.
Leadership status can only be appointed by those being led and an entitled manager is one who attempts to attain a leadership role when the group is not behind them. These people are wholly annoying. However denying one's own role as a leader causes confusion, a lack of direction and can lead to worse results than the overeager monarch.
Posted by: casual observer | January 28, 2009 at 01:38 PM
While this may be true in some situations, in their best form, good leadership and good management should be indistinguishable. A person who can cast a vision can very easily be the same person who encourages folks to try to attain that vision.
I'd be wary of a manager who was specifically trying not to be a good leader and vice versa.
Posted by: knowist | January 29, 2009 at 05:58 PM