Leadership
has been a “hot topic” for more than 50 years. There seems to be as many
theories on the subject as there are authorities on it. I believe the confusion
and lack of consensus is due to the confusion between the concepts of
management and leadership.
Management is setting goals – outcomes, strategy –
how things will be done, and tactics – what needs to be done. Management is accomplished
through control, directing, communication, and teaching, assigning authority
and responsibility and modeling. It is not time or circumstance driven.
Management authority can be granted or assumed.
Leadership is having a vision and being able to cast
it. It is not enough to just have a vision. You must be able to get your followers
to understand what you want accomplished. They must adopt your vision as their
own. History seems to show that leadership is earned and seems to be time and
circumstance driven. Being the right person, at the right time and in the right
place seems to be necessary for leaders to be successful. That is why it is imperative
that you follow God’s leading. It is giving people freedom to act, not
controlling them. It is letting things flow.
Management may be necessary for a time before leadership
takes place. Jesus ministry followed this sequence pattern. He spent the first
three years managing by teaching, directing and modeling. He sent his disciples
out two by two with the authority to heal and cast out spirits but this was limited
by their faith. When they were well trained they were ready for the transition
to leadership. After His death and resurrection He appeared to them and gave
them a vision that lasted them through great difficulties and for the rest of
their lives. They were no longer directed as to what to do. They knew what to
do. They were set free to minister as the Spirit led and were successful at
their vision of spreading the gospel of salvation through the death and
resurrection of Jesus to the world.
There is a question as to whether you should lead and manage
by being upfront or by managing from behind. Management requires an upfront
positioning. You need to constantly make the decisions and give direction. Poor
management is having a wrong strategy, giving poor direction or having a lack
of focus, which causes confusion. Things just will not flow. This produces high
turnover, marginal performance and low morale.
Leadership can be done upfront or from the back. Upfront
leadership is like a General leading a cavalry charge with his drawn saber
pointing toward the objective. It requires teaching and modeling. Leading from behind
is least stressful but most risky. The leader must be sure he has instilled the
vision and has cast it in such a way that people understand it and adopt it as
their own. If they do not share the vision, you will be perceived as a weak
leader. What matters is giving people freedom to carry out the vision once it
is theirs.
Leading from behind is best understood by looking at the
horses pulling a Wells Fargo stage coach. Once the horses have a vision for the
grain and rich green pastures that await them at journey’s end, their passion
for the rewards will take over. The leader’s job becomes encouraging and
occasionally giving direction by a slight tug on the reins. Every driver must know his team well.
Some of the horses will be sprinters, who carry the load during the first part
of the trip, and others will have endurance to carry the load towards the end
of the journey. The driver’s task is to develop the team effort in such a way
that each horse has the freedom to contribute to the total effort.
In the 1980s thousands of Laotian refugees came to the United States
Which is better? It depends where your strength is, in
managing or in leading. Managing always works but the rewards of leadership are
greater. Management and leadership can be implemented either in sequence or
concurrently. If they are done by two different people, doing them concurrently
requires coordination and cooperation.
Management is about control. Leadership is about giving
people the freedom to realize the vision.
