Leadership Is a Practice Not a Position of Authority Anyone can practice leadership

Effective leadership is vital for driving positive change in a complex world. However, many view leadership as a position of authority rather than a practice accessible to all. We can create a more engaged and sustainable society by recognizing that anyone can develop leadership skills and influence others.

The difference between a manager and a leader

Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could.

Credit: Steve Jobs

The job of managers is “to manage things.” They manage resources, facilities, and people.

They are good at managing projects and meeting deadlines. They follow the plan and strategy and get the job done.

Managers are appointed – by the Board or by more senior executives. You cannot make yourself a manager.

On the other hand, leaders look to the world for trends, opportunities, and risks and establish a plan—a strategy—for the future direction.

The relationship between managers and leaders

It’s important to understand that management and leadership are closely related concepts, but they are not interchangeable.

Management involves organizing, planning, and controlling resources and processes to achieve specific goals.

Conversely, leadership involves inspiring, motivating, and guiding people toward a shared vision or purpose.

While all managers need to possess some level of leadership skills to manage their team effectively, not all managers are inherently good leaders.

Similarly, not all leaders have the necessary management skills to execute their vision effectively. However, the best leaders and managers balance both skill sets, allowing them to effectively manage resources and inspire their team to achieve a common goal.

Appointed and natural leaders

There are two types of leaders: appointed leaders and natural leaders.

First, there are designated leaders—senior managers appointed to lead the organization.

In most contexts, such as business books or articles, the word leader is synonymous with top management.

These managers may or may not be good leaders, but leading is their appointed job.

Second, there are the natural leaders of the world – inside and outside of organizations.

Anyone who has a sphere of influence can be considered a leader.

Credit: Daniel Goleman

Anyone can lead; anyone can practice leadership. If you have influence and followers, then you are a leader.

No one gives you this form of leadership – it does not come through appointment; it comes from your influence.

Everyone has influence. For some people, their circle of influence is small; for others, it is substantial.

A blogger with a broad readership has a large circle of influence and is thus a thought leader.

And in an organization, experts in their field are leaders within their domain.

Leadership is a choice. You can choose to influence people positively, or you can opt to keep quiet and choose to minimize your influence, but you can never not influence.

Influencing people is a form of doing things to them. A good leader is both an influencer and is ready to be influenced.

Most people think of leadership as a position and therefore don’t see themselves as leaders.

Credit:  Stephen Covey

So when I talk about leadership and management, when I refer to the appointed leaders in an organization, I call them senior management, sometimes top management, or occasionally appointed leaders. Never, just leaders.

This distinction leaves me free to use the word leader for anyone who practices leadership regardless of their position or authority.

You will find the transcript of the last minute or so of  Ronald Heifetz‘s talk below. The highlighting is mine and draws attention to what I consider to be the key points.

Ronald’s views on leadership as a practice fit perfectly with the concept of Conversational Leadership. We are all capable of practicing conversational leadership.

Transcript

Distinguishing leadership from authority helps us begin to see that if we understand leadership as a practice, as an activity, then it becomes available to anybody, high or low, any place or position, simply because they passionately care about some problem situation, about the people in that problem situation and then mobilize people with faith in their capacity to step up to the plate and meet that challenge.

We all have to lead at different times, we all have to contribute and find our voices and find what’s meaningful.

I think this world is in trouble in a lot of ways and we need smart people everywhere … we just need everyone engaged.

Credit: Eileen Fisher

As we face the challenges of our interconnected world, it is crucial to recognize that leadership is a practice, not just a position. By developing our ability to influence and inspire others while acting with integrity, we can all play a role in driving positive change and creating a more sustainable future.

Resources

• Article: The Problem with Heroic Leaders by Mike Myatt
• Article: Is heroic leadership all bad? by Mitch McCrimmon

Posts that link to this post

•  What Is Communityship? Where everyone in a community practices leadership
•  The Four Levels of Knowledge Management The relation between Conversational Leadership and Knowledge Management
•  III. Practice Leadership We need to practice leadership

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