Most Powerful Leadership Facts & Statistics.
Who is a Leader?
A leader is someone who can see how things can be improved and who rallies people to move toward that better vision. Leaders can work toward making their vision a reality while putting people first.
Leadership is about:
1. Visioning
· Setting Values
· Endorsing values
2. Creating an impact
· Influence
3. Big-picture thinking
· Take Risk
· Lead a change
Some view leadership as a series of specific traits or characteristics. Others see it as comprised of certain skills and knowledge. And some, myself included, think of leadership as a process. This view of leadership, as a process, places an emphasis on social interaction and relationships. This is the idea that leadership is a type of relationship, one that typically includes influencing others in a certain direction.
“Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential”. (Bennis)
Warren Bennis is one of the world's leading experts on leadership. A lecturer, consultant, and writer, Professor Bennis has been an advisor to four U.S. presidents, including John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. He is the author of numerous books, including the classic On Becoming a Leader.
Leader Vs Manager
From the aforementioned standard definitions, you might have realized that there are some key differences between leadership and management, especially in terms of how both “influence” subordinates. Let’s unpack these differences in a bit more detail.
1. Leaders Lead by Example, Managers Manage Teams
While a leader might set an example and influence subordinates and peers, a manager might simply manage teams in a standard way. For example, a manager who isn’t recognized by peers and subordinates as someone with true leadership capabilities might simply be followed as an instructor, who organizes schedules, assigns tasks and forwards reports to senior management.
On the contrary, a leader might be seen as someone who mentors his subordinates, lead by example, takes on the most difficult and challenging tasks, and raises the bar for his team to try to match his hard work, intellect, and skills.
2. Leaders Inspire Action, and Managers Manage Activities
While a leader might inspire his/her team to try to come up with new ideas, improve the quality of work, and complete tasks under challenging deadlines; a manager might have a more mechanical approach.
A manager might simply manage a team that works according to a set routine, based on assigned tasks with little or limited motivation.
Many managers also face the dilemma of being unable to inspire their teams and even failing to maintain discipline, which leads to resentment, petty politics, unnecessary delays, and a decline in the quality of work delivered by a team.
3. Leaders Innovate, and Managers Organize
One of the key traits which set leaders apart from managers is their ability to innovate and come up with new and improved methods of getting tasks organized.
Many Total Quality Management techniques have led to improvement and innovation. A good example of this is Kaizen, which aims at improving activities for all workers through consultation and collaboration. This includes everyone from the CEO to the blue-collar worker at the assembly line. The cycle of this Total Quality Management technique entails a Plan – Do – Check – Act approach. In fact, in many organizations workers are given the authority to suggest improvements in case of any identified abnormality. It is worth pointing out that concepts such as Kaizen can only be implemented where the workforce is truly motivated and the workforce has more “leaders” than “managers” who can innovate and inspire the workforce.
4. Leaders Take Risks, Managers Cautiously Plan
This is one of the trickiest parts of being a leader: Taking risks. Leaders are prone to taking risks, which is a two-edged sword. Risks are called “risks” for a good reason; since they can lead to an awful outcome. Nonetheless, you can’t expect to do something groundbreaking without taking risks. The problem lies in balancing the risks with the potential to recover from a bad decision and this is what good leaders do quite well. This is not to say that many renowned leaders didn’t bet everything they had to take risks, which might or might not have paid off. A good example of this type of leadership is Jeff Bezos. Despite having a high-paying job on Wall Street, Bezos sacrificed everything to start an online bookstore by the name of Amazon in 1994. This was a time when Internet usage was low and people were only beginning to realize the power of the .com industry. He not only left his job as the Senior Vice President at D. E. Shaw but also began a business that was unlikely to yield any real profit for many years to come. In fact, Bezos himself warned early investors that there was a 70% possibility of his venture going bankrupt.
While managers who fail to become leaders are cautious and this might work for many individuals in their careers; risks are arguably the stepping stones for true leaders.
5. Leaders Inspire Change, Managers Bring Stability
While risks can lead to great rewards, however, you don’t want too many people within an organization with a risk-taking attitude! Leaders can inspire change with their personalities, however, an organization also needs people who bring stability, and that includes risk-averse people.
Managers, as compared to people with leadership qualities can be risk averse, and that can help bring stability to keep the wheel moving forward smoothly for an organization. The right mix of people capable of steady day-to-day management and inspiring leaders within an organization can be a blessing.
For example, many organizations have managers who provide a stable working environment; whereas Directors often come up with innovative solutions, and inspire the workforce with their charm, charisma, and foresight. Furthermore, leaders can help inspire change, especially to counter resistance to a new method or procedure and to encourage continuous improvement via methods like Kaizen.
6. Leaders Plan for the Future, Managers Shoulder Immediate Responsibilities
Every organization needs a leader who can think ahead and consider the changing conditions of the market. Jeff Bezos started with an online retail store and expanded it into the largest e-store in the world. In fact, it is hard to think of a conventional store which provides products as diverse as Amazon.
This change could not have been possible in the mid-90s when Amazon was launched. However, as Internet usage expanded, so did Amazon. Bezos saw this many years before the Internet boom. While steady management can help keep things running smoothly, it is the leader who truly envisions the future and the direction of the organization.
7. Leaders are Proactive, Managers are Reactive
If you have had the misfortune of working with incompetent management, you would know that managers, especially ones with little vision or skill are often reactive. They fail to listen to hard-working and competent subordinates and react to a bad situation once it’s created. Unfortunately, many competent managers who lack leadership abilities do the same. They are not proactive since they are risk averse. This in turn leads to fewer initiatives and a clogged system where even a minor change can result in a breakdown.
Leaders, on the contrary, are proactive and keep the workforce motivated and ready to push through bottlenecks. Managers can often lack the adaptability of situational leadership, which can help them mold their subordinates according to the situation and changing market needs. This is why when many people in management get stuck, they look to their bosses to move things forward, such as a director or CEO.
Interesting & most uncommon facts about Leaders:
A leader knows how to keep his/her employees motivated and away from a toxic environment. They try to cater to the needs of the employees at a personal level and provide perks that might keep them motivated. For example, an organization may offer company stocks, play areas, good health insurance, annual bonuses, and other perks to keep employees motivated and working hard for the benefit of the organization. Similarly, a mechanism of punishment can ensure that employees feel obliged to comply. A method is better known as transactional leadership.
A_Leader_say_Let's_go:
- Managers Supervise People or Tasks. Leaders can be Individual Contributors.
- Leaders Guide People Towards Success. Managers Tell People What to Do.
- Leaders are willing to give up control. Managers Set Directions for Everything.
- Leaders Care about the People. Managers Care about the Numbers.
- Be a Leader Be an Inspiration.
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