Management and Leadership
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Free Download - Engaging your Employees By James Dicks |
When I was in the U.S. Marine Corps, the term "leadership" was taught, explained, and demonstrated almost every minute of the day. I found that the biggest and most important difference between a manager and a leader is the way they motivate people who work for them, or follow them. I find that the traits associated with management and leadership can be very similar but they are definitely not transferrable. In our daily routine, there is a need for both types of individuals and many of you have developed both styles in your personal and professional life.
It has been my experience that if you are a manager you normally have subordinates. These are individuals who have been assigned to your charge by higher authorities within a corporate structure. Managers hold positions of authority that have been given to them by upper level administrators and are assigned a multitude of tasks to accomplish for the betterment of the organization.
Management of the daily routine is a very important function, especially in today's troubled corporate environment. And let me add, not everyone can be an effective manager. It takes training; perhaps vocational, on-the-job or academic instruction. It also takes a ton of organizational skills, patience, self-confidence, and the ability to efficiently function under some extremely high pressure deadlines. Managers usually are not big risk takers and that's perfectly alright because the company has tasked them (and their subordinates) with the successful completion of a task for the benefit of the company - nothing more, nothing less. That's what a manager gets paid to do.
Leaders, on the other hand, normally don't have subordinates but leaders always have followers. People only follow someone because they want to, not because they are asked or forced to do so. Many corporate leaders have subordinates, but that's only because they are also managers within the organization. But when these individuals feel the need to lead, they must give up their formal corporate managerial authority, because to lead is to have followers, and following is always a voluntary action - there are no exceptions.
There are all kinds of leaders; some are animated and energetic while some are more reserved. Some people seem to be born to lead while others learn how to lead. Some are charismatic while others are extremely humble but whatever the style; there is always a magnetic appeal to whatever the leader does or asks others to do. Leaders will never ask anyone to do something that they won't do right along with their team. And although leaders aren't thrill seekers, willing to do anything to get the job done; they are calculated risk takers and not afraid to do something out of the ordinary in order to successfully complete an assigned task.
Like I said at the beginning, most of us have a touch of both - managerial and leadership traits - within us. This allows us to be organizers when necessary and adapt to changing situations, when required to do so. I have heard a simple explanation concerning the difference between management and leadership style that says "managers do things right, leaders do the right things." I believe what this means is that managers are centered on the process of accomplishing tasks while leaders are more visionary and imaginative. I guess that may be true, but I also believe there are many other factors that must be discussed when we consider the value of each role.
If a company is going to surpass its competitors by becoming more productive and innovative, the proper individuals must be assigned within the leadership and the management makeup of the company. Both of these functions are important and I think we sometimes give too much credit to the star corporate executive rather than realizing that both the internal leader and his or her management staff/team are needed to assure the ultimate success of a company's business plan.
Management and Leadership - To learn more about this author, visit James Dicks's Website.
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| Article Tags: innovation, james dicks, leadership, management, Marine Corps, premieretrade, risk, training, vision |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is a best-selling author, top-rated speaker and thought leader on sales development. He is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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