|
Simply put: leadership is mostly 'of the heart' while management is mostly 'of the head' (sales is focused on the 'heart' too but in a different way to leadership). Etymology - the study of words - tells us how. The word 'management' comes from the Latin word 'manus' - meaning 'hand'. It is about handling stuff and has the same derivation and manipulation. Leadership comes from the Anglo-Saxon language and can be seen in the German word 'leitung' - meaning guidance and conduct. The gender of the word 'leitung' is feminine which alerts us to the relevance of emotional intelligence.
Guidance and conduct gives us two of the four ways to lead - coaching and service respectively. Also management is more focused on thoughts while leadership is more focused on feelings. But leadership is more than this - it is a selfless act focused on the best interests of others which leads us to a second key question; how can we improve our leadership?
To lead better we have to change ourselves and this change is about becoming more of who we are - not less! It starts with self-awareness because we can only lead others to the extent we are self-aware. This is the key difference between leadership and management courses. Management can be improved through cognitive lessons, tools and techniques, whereas leadership courses have to look at more profound self-awareness which inevitably takes us out of our comfort zone. One thing is clear - we can all improve our leadership and it helps those around us.
So how can you assess your leadership? There are three markers: the first - 'what is the long term impact of your leadership on others?' takes time to answer. But the next two are more immediate: how do your followers assess your leadership (get their feedback) and how much are you sacrificing your own needs and desires when leading? Challengingly put, no self-sacrifice means no leadership.
Submission written by request for THE AGE, MyCareer - 18 October 2008
|
