The great business guru, Peter Drucker famously said, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” We reframe this statement as “Managers minimize error, leaders maximize outcomes.” The two perspectives are saying the same thing. The question is how to move from a management mentality to a leadership mentality?
Senior leaders we’ve coached have described their leadership style as…
- Being comfortable not having an answer
- Getting excited about what’s possible
- Collaborating to solve the unsolvable
- Not being afraid of ambiguity
- Empowering people to use their strengths
- Not defaulting to what’s easiest
- Doing the homework and then being bold
Leadership wisdom is “crystallized intelligence” meaning that superior leaders can recall pre-existing information as well as skills to make high-quality decisions when in an ambiguous situation. Managers usually don’t need nearly the crystallized intelligence that leaders do; their roles are tactical and well defined. Once mastery is achieved improvement is not a job requirement…it’s all about execution.
Managers are (perhaps even unconsciously) motivated by not being called out for making a mistake. They default to the path that’s tried and true. Managers remind me of officials at a sporting event; if you don’t remember them after the game, they did a good job. It’s only when they made a bad call are they remembered. Officials, like managers, are more motivated to make defendable, rational decisions. This is because they facilitate the game but are not technically responsible for the outcome. They perform the skills of the job requirements and do what they are instructed to do.
The common theme among the above leadership style descriptions is removing ego-based fear. These leaders demonstrate emotional resilience and are comfortable being blamed or credited for an outcome. They know there are competing, emotional and circumstantial dynamics that often determine a result. They are not fearful of extending themselves to improve the accuracy of their observations, decision-making and conclusions.
Move from a management mentality to a leadership mentality by evolving to overcome ego-based fear. The ego causes you to not take a leap of faith in yourself or the people around you. When you overcome your fear of being criticized, wrong or even fired, you have the core of emotional resiliency. In other words, you’re no longer afraid and can make bold yet measured decisions in fluid situations.
What kind of leader are you? If you’re stuck in a management mentality, make a determined commitment to your own psyche. Work to manage your ego and decide upon outcomes you want without fear. Be a proactive leader of your own future!