Leadership: management

Many different leaders and managers will come and go through out an organizations time, and they together will create a legacy for the organization. In the book The Leadership Experience, written by Richard Daft, the difference between leadership and management Is described outside the posltlon that a person may hold. To be a leader means that you help to guide people or groups. The US Army defines leadership as ” influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation hile operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization.

The Army has many people In what are called leadership positions, yet not all of the people In the positions of leadership will meet the deflnltlon the Army has given. A manager is equally important in the success of an organization. A leader looks at the destination while the manager looks at the road map to reach the destination. The manager’s Job is to keep track of the progress, and make the changes required to reach the goal. In racing, a driver can possess talent and ability to win a race.

The driver cannot do that alone as he has only one portion of the job that he can do while behind the wheel. The driver relies on his crew chief to organize the needs for the car while the driver is focused on the track. The crew chief maintains the crew through their management of resources. The crew chief shows his expert mind In knowing everything that must take place to win the race. The driver must keep his eye on the finish line and drives that team. References: Daft, Richard L. (2011).

The Leadership Experience. Mason, ohlo: Cengag Learning. 6 Headquarters, Department of the Army Field Manual 6-22 Washington, DC Why do some managers reach a plateau, get fired, or become forced to take early retirement? Managing a group requires several factors that will lead to success or failure. A good manager will be able to build interpersonal relationships, and adapt to changes in the work environment. Building relationships with other managers and subordinates in the workplace allows a manager to have knowledge and trust. An employee or coworker that doesn’t trust a manager is not very likely to work hard or help in a time f need.

If a manager isnt trusted they will not be able to lead a team towards reaching the goal. Attempting to reach a goal requires a manager to be flexible. A construction site has deadlines that must be met. From time to time a construction manager must adapt to changes in weather, accidents, and other circumstances that will affect the Job. At the same time a manager that is so focused on one goal and cannot show the ability to take on more work or stress will reach a plateau and not be considered for promotion. A manager is responsible for many varying tasks and duties.

Managing the physical tasks of the Job is just as important as managing the psychological tasks as well. Teams that are able to relax under pressure will work better and bond stronger thus improving the workplace environment. Managers must use their experiences moving up the ladder in the workplace alongside with the leaders in the workplace to complete the tasks and reach the goal and continue holding their position, or they will be replaced by another person that can. Collis, Rachel (2012).

Researching managers success and failure. * Lacking growth and development in the face of the changing demands of their role * Failing to meet business objectives (due to either failing to follow through or being overambitious) * Maintaining a narrow focus, so that they aren’t able to supervise outside of their area of functional expertise What seems to happen is that these managers are defensive in the face of challenging feedback, don’t learn from their mistakes and don’t identify and address their weaknesses.

Why do they do that? I suspect that they lack self-compassion. Self-compassion makes it easier to be open to difficult feedback; learn from mistakes and admit failings. Self compassion can probably be increased*. These managers also need to get better at noticing when their approach is ineffective and then quickly adjusting their behaviour. A starting point here may be to learn to become more mindful and psychologically flexible. So, if you are a beginning manager, it might be good to focus on becoming more mindful, flexible and compassionate.