People who have pondered over the word Leadership usually come up with two questions, what is a leader made of? And Is a Leader born or made? My friend the other day mentioned that its chaos that creates leaders. The next Lee Kuan Yew will not be from Singapore, he/she will be from India or China. In Singapore, the structure is already there, the country is running smoothly, everyone knows his/her place in the society and his/her role. People know where to look for answers and believe the answers they get are always right. So there is no need for another LKY to rise above others and show the way.
I agree. But then, my personal definition for leaders is people who blaze a trail when none exists. If there are 10 options and a person has to take one, eventually one will stumble upon the right one, that’s not the real deal. The key words are “when none exists”. Leaders are born but are identified or make themselves known in chaos. I don’t think leadership can be thought but powerful personalities with the right attitude can be groomed to be leaders.
Managers and Leaders and often thought of in the same light – I don’t think so. No longer can you call yourself a leader simply because you are a good manager. What differentiates a Leader from a Manager? A manager can manage with the right people around him/her to supplement his/her qualities but a leader should lead by example. A true leader does not lead by telling others what to do but rather leads by example, by doing the right things the right way which will inspire the others to follow. When a subordinate fails a manager most probably will replace the person whereas the leader will teach the person to do it by doing it right. Management is about being organized and systematic in executing existing business but leadership is about breaking new ground with creativity.
Common ground between a Leader and a Manager is drive and high standards. Any person looking for success should have the drive and will and should set high standards for himself/herself that will never be compromised for anything including achieving the goal. To sum up, Management qualities are learned; Leadership qualities are innate and need to be groomed.
So who is more important to a company? There is a general feel that Managers are the poor cousins of Leaders but I beg to differ - managers are not some lower class citizens, its is high time profile of managers are raised and the bandwagon which is compelling everyone to call themselves leaders be stopped. A leader serves the function of finding new direction but it’s just as important to have managers to profitable execute the plan in following that direction.
I agree. But then, my personal definition for leaders is people who blaze a trail when none exists. If there are 10 options and a person has to take one, eventually one will stumble upon the right one, that’s not the real deal. The key words are “when none exists”. Leaders are born but are identified or make themselves known in chaos. I don’t think leadership can be thought but powerful personalities with the right attitude can be groomed to be leaders.
Managers and Leaders and often thought of in the same light – I don’t think so. No longer can you call yourself a leader simply because you are a good manager. What differentiates a Leader from a Manager? A manager can manage with the right people around him/her to supplement his/her qualities but a leader should lead by example. A true leader does not lead by telling others what to do but rather leads by example, by doing the right things the right way which will inspire the others to follow. When a subordinate fails a manager most probably will replace the person whereas the leader will teach the person to do it by doing it right. Management is about being organized and systematic in executing existing business but leadership is about breaking new ground with creativity.
Common ground between a Leader and a Manager is drive and high standards. Any person looking for success should have the drive and will and should set high standards for himself/herself that will never be compromised for anything including achieving the goal. To sum up, Management qualities are learned; Leadership qualities are innate and need to be groomed.
So who is more important to a company? There is a general feel that Managers are the poor cousins of Leaders but I beg to differ - managers are not some lower class citizens, its is high time profile of managers are raised and the bandwagon which is compelling everyone to call themselves leaders be stopped. A leader serves the function of finding new direction but it’s just as important to have managers to profitable execute the plan in following that direction.
Something about one of the Leaders I admire.
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Roy Keane is the game's most inspirational captain, according to skysports.com readers
The Results
1. Roy Keane 29%
2. Paolo Maldini 13%
3. Bobby Moore 12%
4. Alan Shearer 10%
5. Tony Adams 9%
6. Franz Beckenbauer 9%
7. Bryan Robson 7%
8. Graeme Souness 5%
9. Franco Baresi 5%
10.Tony Mowbray 2%
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