Management vs. Leadership: Unleash Your Leadership Potential (12/09)
By Gayle Lynn-Nelson
By the time this is published the LRCs (Librarian Relations Consultants) in NYC will have held a special presentation featuring Cindy Spohr, team lead for the Librarian Relations Group, on management vs. leadership. For those of you that could not attend we thought it would be nice for you to have an article to refer to in your quest to be a great leader and/or manager. I managed law libraries for quite a few years and this would have been very useful to me in that position. Even now at LexisNexis while I do not have direct management responsibilities, I have found it extremely helpful to understand the type of manager and potential leader I am or could be.
So let’s begin with some definitions. A manager focuses on processes, organizational structure, building competence and getting the job done. A leader develops people and their talents, manages change and builds vision. Understanding these concepts can help us determine where we are and where we want to be.
At the most recent AMPLL (Advanced Management in Private Law Libraries), Debbie Fisher, manager, Library and Research Center, O’Melveny & Myers LLP, conducted a session on this specific topic. She presented some excellent information much of which I will summarize in this article. One of the charts she used expressed the traits of a manager vs. that of a leader. Here is what it looks like:
Manager:
- Administers
- Asks how and when
- Accomplishes the goal
- Focuses on systems
- Relies on control
- Enforces rules and order
- Has short-range view
- Eyes the bottom line
- Does things right
- Takes the proven way of doing
- Accepts the status quo
- Builds competence
Leader:
- Innovates
- Asks what and why
- Develops the vision
- Focuses on people
- Inspires trust
- Investigates reality
- Has long-range perspective
- Eyes the horizon
- Does the right thing
- Strikes out in new directions
- Challenges the status quo
- Cultivates and inspires
Having this kind of understanding helps each of us examine where we fit into the chart. And if we want to develop skills to be a manager or a leader we can see where to start and what is needed.
Law firms need both leaders and managers to succeed so there is a place for both. Good managers are needed to bring order and consistency. Good leaders are needed to set direction, create alignment, and inspire commitment. Some firms are over-managed and under-led and the reverse can also be true. You can be called upon to do both at the same time or at different times. Both managers and leaders have people looking to them for direction. Not all managers are leaders, yet the most effective managers, over the long term, are leaders.
I think one of the toughest things for one to acknowledge is that you do not have to be born with specific characteristics to be a leader. You do not have to be in a top position. The one thing we all have to do is take responsibility for developing ourselves. The first step is to reflect on yourself and the next step is to develop your style.
Ask yourself where you spend most of your time. Is it managing or leading? Are there any management tasks you could delegate? Are there leadership behaviors you could develop?
One of the most important capabilities for leaders is to develop self-awareness. This can be quite difficult yet is vitally important. Some of us strive for tangible success — the money, fame, power, status. Is this you? While this may last for a while, at some point you will find something missing. Leaders need to be able to open up and examine themselves.
Think about what leadership means for you and how you can develop it in others. Ask yourself why you should be a leader. Some answers might be the status and compensation, self-fulfillment or self-image or the ability to help others. Perhaps you find people seek your advice, it is mentally invigorating, you thrive on the personal challenge, you want to effect change in your organization or become vital to the organization. Whatever your reason, figure out what you are lacking and how to obtain what is necessary. Develop your leadership skills.
Think about being a part of a team or leading a team. Teams are a way of developing leadership skills on a small scale, then growing from there. We all have access to teams, even in a small environment. This is where information professionals can practice and demonstrate leadership.
Great leadership can really have an electrifying effect on the performance of an organization. When good leaders are appointed to manage offices, everything and everyone blossoms. Think about the poor leaders you may have encountered along your professional career path. What happened to your firm/organization? Chances are they are not fond memories.
If you want to be a good manager you must be a fine problem-solver and decision maker. Does this make you a good leader? Not necessarily. One key trait seems to be self-confidence. I have heard this frequently and when I look around at those that appear to be good leaders they are very confident, not smug or self-boasting but believe in themselves and what they can do.
Yes, a certain portion of being a good leader is innate. But most agree that one can learn the art of leadership if you think it is important enough to try and are given the time to develop those skills/traits. I used to think I was a great leader. Now I know I have a ways to go. I will keep working at it and continue to develop my leadership skills. Ask yourself if you want to do the same. If so, what do you need to get there?
