Manager…or Leader?
A great leader inspires and motivates people. A great leader leads with a passion and purpose that’s infectious, and that brings everyone together in working towards common goals and achieving a common vision. A great leader brings out the best in people, all people, no matter their background, experience, education, or position. A great leader ensures all opinions are heard, especially those that are critical. These are things I state often in these missives, but they were reinforced recently when I read about William Bowen.
Bowen, once President of Princeton University and after that, President of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, died recently. I knew nothing about him until I happened upon an obituary by James R. Hagerty in the Wall Street Journal that mentioned several of his ideas on good management. This peek into his thinking intrigued me so I picked up his book, Lessons Learned, about his experiences running Princeton.
Reading his thoughts on what constitutes good management intrigued me as it sounded like the tenets of what makes a great leader. This led me to ponder the difference between management and leadership.
Many people are good managers, able to oversee people and ensure they get their work done well. Organizations large and small are filled with such competent managers, up to and including the person at the top. Far fewer are filled with leaders. And many have no leaders at all.
Bowen wanted to be challenged. He managed by walking around but he led by gathering opinions and ideas from everyone he met and everything he observed on his walks…and seriously considering what they had to say. He managed by making decisions and ensuring that things were running well but he led by continuously sharing his vision and exemplifying his values in everything he did.
Leadership is about listening well and letting people know they are important, that their ideas are important, and that you care about them and their future. Leaders include everyone in their thinking, thereby assuring everyone that they have a voice and that their opinions have value.
Leadership is about knowing your limitations and gathering people around you with greater skills in areas where you’re weak, then letting them do what they know how to do with your full confidence and support. Leadership is building an organization that gives everyone the chance to excel and recognizes them for their contributions and drive to succeed. Leadership is about giving everyone the chance to participate so the decisions become theirs.
Managers, even good managers, tend to do a poorer job of these things. They’re more directive and controlling and less willing to hear all opinions and take them into account. They’re more focused on the tasks at hand and lose sight of the greater good of all involved.
In Bowen’s obituary Hagerty shared an amusing story that exemplifies the difference between management and leadership.
“In the late 1970s, some students wanted Princeton to banish towels made by J. P. Stevens & Co. because of the company’s labor practices. It was fine for individuals to have a position on such matters, Dr. Bowen thought, but wrong for Princeton to take a stand. He ended the debate by giving people a choice at the gym: A stack of towels from Stevens, a second pile from other suppliers, and a mixed collection from Stevens and others for people who didn’t care about the debate. The third pile proved most popular.”