Ever since Max De Pree wrote his wildly successful book, Leadership is an Art, in 1989 the leadership movement has overshadowed the discipline of management. While we have learned to distinguish between leaders and managers we should also realize that managers lead and leaders manage and therefore are one in the same.

The view that leadership is more important or separate from managing can be destructive to an organization. Leading is focused on influencing people, while managing is focused on the administration of resources within the organization through planning, organizing and coordinating activities. To say that leading is different than managing is like saying that planning and organizing are different than managing. This creates a view that the management activities of planning, organizing and coordinating are somehow less important than leading. The current obsession with leadership is creating an imbalance within organizations where managers feel less important than they should. The fact is that for the last twenty years, things have changed a lot for managers. They are promoted within their organization to a job that requires multiple skills and yet there is no manual that tells them what proper skills, knowledge and abilities they need to excel at in order to be a great manager while meeting the goals of an organization. They are charged with critical and multiple tasks to get the job done and their plates are getting bigger and more complicated, especially with middle management cuts.

It is almost insulting when leadership training programs and books ask, "Are you a manager or a leader?" As if you can't or shouldn't be both. Yes, this soft topic called leadership is very necessary to master in today's challenging workplace but it is part of a list of functions that every member of the organization needs, no matter whether an executive, middle manager or supervisor. Add leadership to three other functions that managers require and you have a complete manager with the functions of leadership, planning, organizing and coordinating activities. The key is to be able to emphasize different skills within these four functions at different times.

To be a manager today, you must also emphasize rationality and control, problem-solving, analytical skills, hard work, persistence, tough-mindedness and financial savvy to meet goals and be successful. These are the skills organizations need to ensure their managers have so they are alert to opportunities and advance their priorities. Identifying where their managers are weak is needed so organizations can develop them through training, mentoring and coaching.

Good management is needed in organizations to maintain the status quo, add stability and order. But managers also need to learn to instigate change, envision the future, raise expectations, and stir people's emotions. What organizations should be focusing on are the roles of both leadership and management as one because it will be the same person who is operating in both capacities. Whether you are a Managing Director, Human Resources Professional, CEO, Programmer or Administrator, you need to lead and manage as one. As managers you make the future happen, you crystallize the expectations of people into processes and action plans. Superior managers master change and make progress but only when they take into account the needs of the people involved in helping them achieve their goals. By perfecting the four functions managers can improve the financial performance of their companies by motivating their teams to superior performance.

Superior Performance - Promoting Self-responsibility

Managers who take responsibility for what happens, act to correct problems, and do the right thing despite the opinions of others are self-responsible, an admirable and necessary trait needed in business today. Needless to say the newspaper headlines are full of managers who are quick to accept credit for successes, receive high dollar salaries and bonuses but also quickly blame other people for scandals and problems in their organization while absolving themselves of their responsibility.

Are you promoting self-responsibility?

As a manager ask yourself how well you do at taking responsibility. Here are some ways to promote self-responsibility within your company or team:

1. Control your responses. Stuff happens. You can't control everything but you can control your response to what happens which will determine the outcome. Don't blame others; instead look for what you can do to achieve the best outcome.
2. Model your behavior. If you want others to behave differently, you must engage in the right type of behavior so people will do the same. If you yell at your employees, they will yell at their employees.
3. Set expectations. You can't force others to behave a certain way but you can clearly express your expectations and require them to act responsibly or pay the penalties. Remember that lecturing and punishing doesn't work. In other words, reward people who take responsibility.
4. Hire right. You can't change other people's behaviour to a large degree but you can create an environment to nurture the type of behavior you want. Begin by hiring people with the right work competencies, lead by example and do not accept deviations from that behavior.
5. Communicate clearly. Tell employees where the company is going this year, what the mission and vision are, and clearly convey what is expected of each employee.
6. Listen carefully. Listen to everything the person has to say, without interruption and without tuning out their point of view. Don't multi-task when people are talking to you.
7. Give feedback. Give frequent feedback to ensure employees understand how they are doing and what is expected of them.

Teaching others to take responsibility for their actions is not about fixing people. It takes time to get to the root of the problem and ultimately self-responsibility comes from inside the person. But, self-responsibility is mandatory for managers to achieve superior performance.

Cross Border News

• Labor Shortage Growing Problem
  The National Association for Business Economics reported that 35 per cent of the 103 corporate planners and financial analysts surveyed are having difficulty hiring skilled workers. This is up 10% from last year and is worst in Dallas in the energy industry and in Atlanta and San Francisco in construction according to The Federal Reserve Board Beige Book report.
  
• U.S. Workers Play Hooky
  Thirty per cent of 2,202 U.S. workers admitted to taking a sick day when not sick, according to a poll commissioned by Hudson, a professional staffing firm. Forty-nine per cent said they just needed a break from the daily work grind while another 22 per cent took a day off to care for a sick relative. Two in five of those playing hooky said they believed their bosses knew they were not actually sick.
  
• U.S. Workers Won't Join Unions
  More than half of U.S. workers say they are content with their jobs and would vote against bringing a union into their workplace according to a poll by Zogby International on behalf of the Public Service Research Foundation, a non-profit group. Seventy-two per cent said they were content with their current jobs, while 27% said they were unhappy. What would be interesting to find out is if those 27% are the same ones playing hooky or whether playing hooky make U.S. workers content with their jobs.
  

Performance Notes 

Middle Managers are of value-This month newspaper headlines talked about more corporate layoffs. The growing shortage of labor may mean that companies should question the value of cutting out the middle management layer. Many companies are now building back those layers and for good reason. Middle managers act as role models to first line managers and their people. When this layer is gone in a corporation, who are the role models? Who is there to train the people? Industries such as construction have been seeing a decline in skilled workers for years but what has been done to train and keep the lower level employees so they will become the skilled workforce of the future? Not enough. In addition, we have apparently forgotten that knowledge is created by middle managers who become the senior managers and use knowledge and leadership skills to move everyone at the bottom of the ladder, including entry level workers, up the ladder so the company moves forward and carries on. Middle manager therefore become the intersect point for knowledge between the top and bottom layers of the company. But as more and more companies remove the middle layer knowledge and skill is lost.

Linda Speaks

Linda will be giving two presentations at The Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada Annual Conference August 25-27th and a presentation to the Barrie Chapter of Human Resources Professionals October 20th.

If you would like Linda to present a program to your company or group please email her at lhanson@llhenterprises.com.

Please give us feedback on this issue of The Superior Performance Report (click here) and let us hear your insights and what you would like to hear about next time.

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