Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash

A leader’s responsibility is to connect with people and to gain their commitment while unlocking their potential in pursuit of goals.

When people feel good about themselves, they will perform. You would know that based on personal experience. The signs are there – going the extra mile, discretionary effort and time to accomplish team and organizational goals, positively influencing others and so on. This is leadership heaven.

The purpose of leadership therefore is to exercise the influence necessary to take the organization, or a division of the organization, from where it is to where it has the potential to be. 

Ponder this for a moment and internalise how you play your hand in fulfilling it. Then allow me the liberty to cherry pick a few key words implied in the definition.

Influence – undeniably the essence of leadership. Are your methods and interactions mutually beneficial?

Organization or a division – leadership is required at all levels within hierarchical and throughout matrix structures.

Where it is – an honest assessment of one’s current reality.

Potential – leadership is about recognising potential and then influencing to ‘extract’ it by working with human nature.

To be – a highly desirable destination crafted by the picture influencers portray so that it personally resonates within the hearts and minds of people, propelling them into action. Envisioning positive outcomes is found within individuals and teams who are committed and who have a purpose.

On the other hand, the purpose of management is to design and implement business processes and procedures that enable an organization to operate efficiently and effectively. Essentially it’s about stability and control.

Beware! There is a catch as in practice an individual is often required to embrace the skill sets of both leading and managing. If a management approach is used when leadership is required, the result will be compliance driven behaviour. Leaders aim for commitment.

Are you aware of when and how you should lead and manage now that you know their distinct purposes?

Next week’s post is on the role of the leader.

I am the author of Leading Self and Others (how to make a difference where you are with what you’ve got) and Teaming with ideas (life lessons in teams- from business, sport and parkrun). You can contact me here.