Enhancing the performance of others involves balancing leadership and management to create environments within which people engage and flourish. Management might be regarded as a concern for the task and process, whilst leadership focuses on people. The notion of managing may be seen as doing something to others, whereas leading may be seen as doing things with others. Managing may have a sense of unequal responsibility, of directing and being responsible for others whereas leading is not only about doing things with others but also bringing people together. If your style, is strongly management-orientated, your team may become stifled by process and wholly dependent on your direction. This may inhibit the ability of your team members to develop themselves and be independently successful. A strong leadership approach could lead to chaos if your team is not ready for such empowerment. A balance is therefore required, whereby you establish your vision of success with your team and then work with them productively and synergistically to deliver agreed results.
In the past, managers wielded power through planning, organising, directing and controlling. Nowadays, as teams g row larger and the manager’s span of control is extended, much of that power is inevitably delegated and you are helping those within your team to solve their own specific problems rather than solving them yourself. You should therefore be striving to lead your team whilst also managing the underlying processes. In a nutshell – the job is to create the environment and then manage the processes within it. Most of the time your job is a balancing act – keeping the vision and the processes together. The diagram shows what happens when the balance swings too much in one direction.
Skills and knowledge are continually enhanced through coaching and counselling; arguably the most important and impactful skills to develop as a manager. How then do you stimulate the intrinsic motivation of your team members to want to achieve results? It does not take charisma, instead you energise people through appealing to their personal values. This makes the task more meaningful and the effort people exert is directly related to the meaning that the task has for them. It takes time, effort and excellent listening skills to determine what the motivators are for an individual or group. Never assume that you know – you will almost certainly be wrong. You must deliver the same message differently to different people or teams and then give people as much room and support as possible to achieve their desired results. Once your team appreciates and understands what is expected and the strategy is agreed, it is the daily communication between you and them that inspires them towards that shared vision. You help to sustain their mood and excitement at a high level by walking the talk, offering feedback, getting to know people personally, encouraging, praising and rewarding all successes, including all of the little things. Whether managing or leading your team, there are six key qualities that distinguish good managers from excellent ones:
- Enthusiasm
- Courage
- Self-confidence/belief
- Integrity
- Interest in people
- Sense of humour
Most importantly you must do what you say you will do and be sincere!
Line managers hold one of the most influential, yet hardest jobs in any organisation. They are the point at which the directives of the corporate strategists meet the tactical implementers who work to generate profit. The tensions and challenges arising require exceptional management and leadership qualities. These must be learned and practised.
Author: Phil Yates, Coachwise Consultants Ltd