The difference between Leadership and Management opportunities

Over the years I've had a number of people come to me for advice on becoming a leader or a manager (often using these interchangeably in our conversations). I have had the good fortune of working for a number of excellent leaders and managers. Surprisingly they all have very different approaches. Some were very technical and could build a vision and dive deep into coding and configuring. Others were on the other end of the spectrum and focused on helping get the tools we needed, securing priority from teams we depended on, and clearing roadblocks. They shaped my definitions of Leadership and Management. I’ve borrowed from those experiences to define my own management style.

Leadership and Management describe separate but overlapping concepts. This has caused Management to be perceived as a subset or a lesser form of Leadership... which I believe is incorrect. Having one doesn't mean you have the other. However, to be the ideal manager you should be a good leader. But the opposite isn't necessarily true but often is. Language is imprecise and when there is a long history of using terms interchangeably this compounds the issue. This chart highlights some of the approach differences. But remember the same person can be both a leader and a manager at different times.

Motivations

I remember listening to an old friend (years ago) talk about wanting to be a manager. They were an excellent individual contributor… bright, impeccable work (often delivering above expectations), and had an excellent work ethic. I wanted to understand their motivation and asked why… most of the reasons were about advancement. None were about developing people. In my mind, I agreed his hard work deserved advancement but I wasn’t convinced he would make a good manager.

Not everyone is ready/suited for these roles just like not everyone is ready/suited to be a parent... though it might feel like it is the natural next step... don't chase it just because it's expected. Just like not every superstar player makes a good coach. Both leadership and management require new skills and motivations to do the job well.

(Sorry too many analogies in one paragraph.)

Too often excellent individual contributors are promoted into management without any consideration if the team will benefit from their management and leadership (or training and preparation). IMHO being a multiplier (making the team stronger through your nurturing and support) is a key element to being a good manager to those under your charge.

Leadership opportunities are different than management roles but could be a good fit for the brilliant person with a vision or great idea. They can be made responsible for a project, process, or area. The success of that area will still garner them exposure (and advancement) without the burden of people development (if that's not their interest or strength).

The Journey

Let's take a look at what the landscape of this journey looks like. The most influential person is your direct manager. They have to want to be your advocate and be able to argue why the promotion to people manager is deserved. You manager not only needs to make the case with their manager but often with their peers. Often there will also be input from them and if there is negative sentiment then it may die there.

To get these folks to be advocates you have to be more than just competent, you have to be a superstar... someone they are afraid to lose or worse lose to the competition. What are things you accomplished that are worthy of putting in highlights and accomplishments on your resume? Summarize these each year/quarter in your review process.

Some additional things you can do... I've borrowed these from the story "The 7 Emails You Should Send Every Week to Get Ahead in Your Career" by Michael Thompson.

1. email saying “thank you”

2. email to someone you admire

3. email lifting someone up

4. email to someone you just met

5. email to an old co-worker

6. Thursday afternoon email to your boss

7. Friday afternoon email to yourself

(Share in the comments things you think aspiring leaders and managers should do.)

These have to come together at the right time... there has to be a role or the desire to create that role (which often has some headcount and budget concerns that go along with it and need to be part of the leadership planning process). If the opportunity doesn't exist internally and there is nothing on the horizon you may have to look externally to increase the chances of finding an opportunity. Is this the only way it will happen? Will this guarantee it happening? No... but if you are doing what you love then the journey is worth it... even if the destination isn't what you hoped.

For People Managers

Look to your own experiences for inspiration on what to incorporate into your management process. Don't forget about negative experiences... be sensitive to them and avoid repeating those in how you manage your team.

As managers, we have to avoid being seduced by confidence. We've all seen far too many examples of mediocrity climbing the ladder because of their in-person confidence (see BBC article "Failing up: Why some climb the ladder despite mediocrity"). Not only does this not help the team, it hurts... because they see a system that promotes the mediocre and disengage.

Transparency around the process and qualification criteria builds trust and hope for your employees. As a leadership team, we should clearly identify qualities that need to be demonstrated to be considered for promotion at each level of management. This reduces personal biases and what might seem like arbitrary decisions to employees.

I believe most employees have the potential to be a star. First, we have to figure out what they love. Is it a type of work? Is it a certain thought process or experience? etc. Finding that passion means they will naturally spend time learning, thinking, and building in that area. Find them projects or shift their role to include more of their passion. Instead of trying to make everyone good at the same things (not everyone has the same capability), focus on sharpening their strengths (and just shore up weaknesses). Before you know it you will no longer be pushing... they will be pulling you forward. Be warned it's possible their passions may not be on your team or even in your company. But find solace in the fact that it is really gratifying to help someone find career happiness and watch them reach their full potential. Be a servant leader manager to your team, this is best for the team and the organization.

(What's you people development philosophy? Tells us in the comments.)