Leadership … Continued Discussion 2/25/09

In this post, I want to talk about a quote from Marcus Buckingham that appeared in his March 2005 Harvard Business Review article “What Great Managers Do.” The quote that I want to discuss is “Great leaders tap into the needs and fears we all share. Great managers, by contrast, perform their magic by discovering, developing, and celebrating what’s different about each person who works for them.”

Looking first at the “great leaders tap into the needs and fears we all share” part of the quote, I absolutely agree. Leaders have to focus on the big picture, both in regard to what is going on in the world and in getting the masses moving in support of the pursuits of the moment. In President Obama’s speech to Congress last night, he pointed to the realities of today in painting a very clear picture of what so many of us are experiencing (and fearing) and then he touched a public need that weaves its way through all of us in tough times, hope, as a way in which to enlist our support of his position. And he did this in an inspirational and very believable way. In the capacity of the great leader he is, he influenced us to champion his plan to overcome the calamities of the day.

This is something that all leaders, in whatever capacity, need to be able to do … influence others to put their heart and soul into accomplishing the needs of the moment. Whether we are talking about the President of our nation or the executive director of a staff of two, we need to be able to stir the passions within others to achieve intentions. This is critically important.

And this segues nicely into the second part of the quote, “Great managers, by contrast, perform their magic by discovering, developing, and celebrating what’s different about each person who works for them.” Although I agree that this is a skill that managers must possess, I feel strongly that leaders as well require this skill. And here again whether we are talking about the President of our nation or a small-shop employer, a leader often has to narrow his/her focus to a single individual or small group of individuals who must be influenced. And to accomplish that influence all leaders need to have skill at breaking apart peoples’ complexities and understanding how to work best with them as individuals.

As a long-time nonprofit association executive, I have staff direct reports that I must understand so well that I know what buttons to push (or not) in order to garner their loyalty, dedication and determination to follow the direction given and to run actions to ground most effectively. As well, with a component of my elected Board changing every year and indeed a new president surfacing each year, my preservation is largely dependent upon my ability to know how to work best with individuals. These skills are indeed critically important to any leader. As indicated in an earlier post, I feel strongly that an effective leader is also an excellent workplace psychologist.

Author Cross-references:

Marcus Buckingham: None

Key Word Cross-references:

Authentic/Believable/Genuine: Also see posts 1/2/09, 1/28/09, 2/18/09, 3/16/0910/26/09, 12/5/09, 1/4/10, 2/24/10, 5/26/10

Hope: Also see post 2/3/09

Influence: Also see post 12/8/08, 2/18/10,  3/29/10

Inspiration/Motivation: Also see posts 1/16/09, 2/3/09, 2/18/09, 5/17/09, 6/5/09, 6/26/09, 9/9/09, 2/18/10, 2/24/10, 4/19/10

Psychology: Also see posts 1/16/09, 2/18/09

Tags: Leadership