Like a boss? Hmmm…what kind of boss? Would you consider yourself a manager or a leader or both?
Those are very important questions to ask yourself when you are climbing the corporate ladder. I’m sure you’ve asked yourself what kind of manager you want to be…right?
If you have to carry around a mug with, “like a boss” on it, you probably are not the kind of boss employees, see as a positive choice.
Now if the mug said, “I’m here to serve my employees”, sign me up! I want to work for you!
In my career I have had MANY managers, but none rose to the level of leadership. If you want to climb and arrive at leadership, you have to make a conscious choice to know the difference between the two.
The simplest way to distinguish the two:
Managers manage tasks.
Leaders… LEAD people. It’s that simple right? Well, no not to some organizations. Let’s break it down further.
Management
- Focuses on Processes and Tasks: Planning, organizing, and controlling the processes and tasks to achieve specific goals and objectives. Dealing with the day-to-day operations and logistics of the organization.
- Authority and Control: Managers do typically hold positions of authority and are responsible for making decisions related to resource allocation, task delegation, and performance evaluations. They do have some jurisdiction over the team, but not fully.
- Execution and Efficiency: Managers ensure the tasks are carried out efficiently and the organizations resources are used effectively to meet team goals. In fact, managers are often seen as the one who keeps the team stable and in order.
- Short-Term Goals: Managers work to meet deadlines and targets and often oversees the short-term goals of the team.
- Employee Relationship: TRANSACTIONAL. This is a BIG one here. Managers tend to engage in transactional relationships with their employees. Example…you met your sales quotas; managers will reward the employee. The focus is maintaining the organizations status qou.
Leadership
- Focus on People and Vision: Leaderships primary focus is inspiring and guiding people toward a shared vision and common goals.
- Influence and Inspiration: Leaders influence and inspire their team members, by setting the example with their actions and visons. Leadership is less about formal authority over teams and more about influence and trust.
- Innovation and Change Agent: Leaders often drive change in the organization. They challenge the status qou, encourage creative thinking, and take risks and own the responsibility of the risk.
- Long-Term Vision: Leaders are often the strategic thinker and considers the organizations long-term direction and works to align the team with that vision. If a leader has great vision for the company, there is no need to TRY and gain “buy in” from employees, they will naturally follow.
- Transformational: Leaders tend to have transformational relationships with the employees of the organization. Leaders seek to MOTIVATE and EMPOWER, fostering an environment of personal growth and development.
There are vast differences between being a manager and a leader, and organizations intertwine the two all the time.
Look Beyond Top Performers
An organization’s top performers are not always the best as managers or even rise to the level of leadership. Not to mention, the skills and attributes that make someone a top performer in their respective individual role, may not necessarily align with the qualities for effective leadership.
Some employees are just GREAT worker bees. Organizations don’t need to fix what’s not broken. Let them be…
As defined by Laurence J. Peter, in his 1969 book, “The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong.” He describes the most common observation by many in an organization. Its concept is still present today.
“In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence.”
-Laurence J. Peter
If you’re not familiar with the Peter Principle, you’re in luck! I have seen it with my own eyes play out disastrously.
Out of the gate, you want to know what you’re dealing with within your organization. Here we go…
In principle, organizations will promote their top performers because they are doing so well in their role. And if someone is doing great in their individual role, the assumption is they are fit for a higher-level position.
The error in judgement with organizations promoting in this fashion, is assuming the employee will continue to excel in a more challenging complex role. Assuming the employee’s success in one role to the success of another.
However, what happens is the employee begins to lack the necessary knowledge and abilities of the role of the promotion. In essence, the promotion has run its course. And the employee and their team know this to be true.
In fact, the consequences of the employee reaching their level of incompetence, results in a decline in job performance, errors, low morale, and decrease in productivity.
Sometimes unbeknownst to the organization, they set the employee up for failure.
Stagnation can set in for the employee and no more promotions are ever offered. A frustrating feat for the employee and the organization, and future organizations. They may even lose their status and or job.
Why is the Peter Principle Still Around Today
It’s important for organizations to look beyond an employee’s current performance, as mentioned. And to mitigate the effects of the Peter Principle, organizations often implement leadership development programs, mentorship programs, and promotion processes, that would consider the potential for growth and success of an employee in a leadership role.
So, with all the resources out there, you might ask, why is this concept of promotional incompetence still around?
The number one reason I have witnessed in my corporate career is this…organizations lack to recognize leadership as a skill. They merge the role of a manager and leader together. I would guesstimate, there are more managers in an organization than leaders.
Climbing or Failing
So, now that you’ve got the Peter Principle down. Would you NOW, own a mug that says, “Like a boss?” If you were say…a boss?
Have you decided whether you’re a great worker bee? You’re looking at becoming a manager? Maybe, you want to aspire to leadership? All are fine.
I will leave you with this. Focus on your vision for your career and follow with sincere intentions.
Management and leadership are both needed for a company to strive and be successful.
Decide whether you want transactional or transformational relationships with your colleagues while climbing the corporate ladder.
Let’s chat soon!
