Second Quarter 2014- Issue 16
At the End of the Day- “Good Management, then Good Leadership”
Reflection on leadership competencies inevitably leads to a discussion about an individual’s skills or potential. While leadership is “where the buck stops,” I believe management is where leadership begins. Before there can be good leadership, there must be good management. Good Management Matters! It is often said that managers are tactical and leaders are strategic, yet they are both critical to an organization’s success and both use the SAME management principles in fulfilling their responsibilities.
A few examples of management principles that both use are:
Planning- The analysis and evaluation of internal and external environments (past, present and future) that provide direction and guidance for acting out all resources to meet stated objectives.
Staffing- Hiring, developing and retaining the human resources that get the job done over the full life cycle of an employee.
Delegating- Giving responsibility, authority and accountability to others to get the job done.
Controlling- Having the discipline for appropriate checks and balances with timely feedback mechanisms along the work continuum to gauge attainment of stated objectives, from the beginning to the end of a product or service life cycle.
With good planning, a leader will have the ability to effectively communicate the expectations to all key stakeholders of his or her organization (Idealized Influence). Hiring the right people for the right job is essential for the leader to build the strongest team possible to help lead the entire organization (Individualized Consideration). Through effective delegation, the leader will have a balanced work load and is able to properly focus on creating a motivating and developing work environment where people feel empowered to get the job done (Inspirational Motivation). With effective controls and appropriate checks and balances, the leader will have the necessary accountability in place to ensure the results either reach or exceed targeted expectations (Intellectual Stimulation).
Leadership can be considered an art; while management can be considered a science (arguably a soft-science). As an artist paints what will be considered a masterpiece, it may be said that their leadership is displayed. Yet with concentrated inspection of the management principles used by the artist, much more is revealed to the viewer. With a closer look at the painting, these management principles are foundational to the artist’s work; the individual brush strokes, paint texture, layers of paint, the free-handed drawing, shades of colors and lighting used by the artist become much more apparent. The masterpiece (leadership) is a function of all the principles (management) the artist uses. When there is good art there is good use of art principles.
When there is good leadership, there is good use of management principles and the possibility of producing a masterpiece is exponentially multiplied. When there is bad management, a higher probability exists that there is bad use of management principles, with little or no chance of creating a masterpiece or favorable outcomes. When evaluating someone’s leadership competencies, first consider their management skills. This can give you excellent insights into whether or not you are looking at a current or future leader (masterpiece). Remember: Good Management Matters!
—Mario Flores
(C) 2014 Mario Flores. All rights reserved. No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without written consent.
