Leading is not managing
As you know I hold regular workshops/seminars and speaking engagements and in particular address an audience of primarily business owners.
One of the critical areas I often cover and it always elicits a great response is in the area of clarity.
As Brian Tracy my mentor says “85% of business success is achieved through clarity”. But how do you achieve this?
In it’s simplest form it is achieved by leading and not managing.
Leadership is all about vision and clarity of thinking. Vision is rarely achieved or indeed conveyed by those stuck in the day today business of managing.
As Warren Bennis aptly states “Leaders are people who do the right things, Managers are people who do things right”.
Don’t get me wrong managing is clearly an important function of any business, however it in today’s environment it is by no means enough.
The difficulty with spending your time managing the processes and systems is that the business environment is in a constant state of flux.
You cannot operate in an environment of constant change without constant innovation. You cannot innovate without leading, you cannot lead without clarity and you cannot achieve clarity without devoting time to stand back from your business and ask the hard questions about what the future holds, and yourself and your organisation’s ability to adapt to that future.
Be the architect of your future by looking at your industry and any trends that are happening or likely to happen. Look at your people and your skill base and determine if they are good enough, and flexible enough to adapt to change. Look at your constraints and determine what training and knowledge you need to acquire in order to be relevant in the future.
Look at new opportunities that leverage your areas of excellence.
Constantly challenge the status quo and current thinking that is within your organisation. Generally if you have a group of managers that achieve consensus quickly on an issue, this is the time for you to question the logic of that decision and dig a little deeper.
I always find without exception in the workshops and in my coaching sessions that the first answer is rarely the final solution to a problem or opportunity.
In summary think, act and be the leader. Someone who has a clear vision of what the future holds, but is constantly challenging and questioning how the vision can be achieved. Someone who likewise is engaging the team in the vision and encouraging constant innovation, in their thinking and approach to problem solving. No matter what size your organisation the more you learn to delegate the day to day management and focus on the strategies for the future, the more you will contribute to your organisations future success.
Best of luck
Ronan
Ronan Kilroy Certified Focal Point Business Coach.
Focal Point Coaching Blanchardstown, Dublin 15
