| In the last decade or so, business and | | | | information, or any other resource -- and |
| management academics, writers, "gurus" and | | | | match those resources to tasks.So while |
| executives alike have all touted the | | | | leadership may be responsible for determining |
| importance of leadership.They've written | | | | what the goal is, management is crucial to |
| about it. They've spoken about it. They've | | | | achieving it.Based on that, management is |
| conducted MBA courses on it. They've | | | | just as important to achieving a goal as |
| practiced it.And they've certainly worshipped | | | | leadership wouldn't you say?And typically, |
| it.And so they should. Leadership is | | | | for every leader with a compelling vision, a |
| critical, right? It's what gives companies | | | | business needs a certain number of managers |
| direction -- what drives them onward and | | | | to organize the work and the workers, in |
| upward to success.Without leadership a | | | | order to achieve that vision. (It also needs |
| company would be all dressed up with nowhere | | | | an even greater number of workers but that's |
| to go.And please don't confuse it with | | | | the subject of another article!).So... if the |
| management. Leadership captivates us with the | | | | average business needs more managers than |
| why and what; management bores us with the | | | | leaders... why doesn't the business |
| how, who, when and where.Leaders are the | | | | "intelligentsia" give equal -- if not greater |
| visionaries. The thinkers. Those exceptional | | | | emphasis -- to the development of management |
| "big picture" people who inspire us to | | | | skills than to leadership skills?Possibly |
| embrace their vision for the | | | | because too much emphasis has been given to |
| future.Managers... well they're the people | | | | management than to leadership in the past... |
| who can't lead. Managers lack big picture | | | | or possibly because having a big vision and |
| vision; they too mired in the details -- the | | | | inspiring people is so much sexier than the |
| small picture. And they're too busy | | | | nitty-gritty of preparing budgets, hiring |
| organizing than orchestrating.Only it's the | | | | people, delegating tasks, monitoring |
| managers who actually get us where we want to | | | | performance, choosing vendors, and the |
| go. After all, what good is it having a road | | | | "mundane" tasks of management.Or perhaps the |
| toward the future without an operational car | | | | tasks of a manager are just plain |
| to get us there?It seems to me that in all | | | | obvious...So obvious that many executives, |
| this glorification of leaders and | | | | professionals, entrepreneurs and small |
| leadership... managers and management have | | | | business owners find themselves in management |
| been unjustly maligned... To the point where | | | | positions... where they're full of vision and |
| "management" is equated with being | | | | grand plans... but can't get the people they |
| small-minded, reactive, controlling, even | | | | manage to actually do the things necessary to |
| stifling.As a result, while up-and-coming | | | | accomplish that plan and those grand |
| professionals, executives, entrepreneurs and | | | | plans!Enough already!We need more managers -- |
| small business owners, focus on developing | | | | or should I say people with management skills |
| leadership skills... they neglect to develop | | | | -- not more leaders. Big dreams abound... the |
| management skills. The very skills that get | | | | capabilities to access and allocate resources |
| things done.What skills are these?Well, in my | | | | to achieve those big dreams are in far too |
| opinion, management is basically about | | | | short supply.Anna Johnson is the author of |
| allocating resources to achieve a goal. Great | | | | the How To Manage People System, including |
| managers do a little more than that, but the | | | | her book, How To Manage People (Even If |
| manager's role is essentially to allocate | | | | You're A Control Freak!). |
| resources -- whether people, money, tools, | | | | |