The best part of helping our Hurricane Helene victims was the chance to join with so many awesome volunteers at Statesville, Rutherfordton, and Ashe County airports. The volume of supplies sent in short notice before government authorities could arrive was just tremendous, and those who helped deliver it over the week after the traumatic event were truly joyful servants. Truly a fantastic experience.
Leaders, therefore, need to remain ever mindful of these perceptions and take charge of that narrative by taking the steps to actively demonstrate the values they care about for their teams."
Jordan Kestenbaum
Disney Institute
Too often, these words are used interchangeably, or they are misunderstood with one regarded as superior to the other. In truth, they're both different, and they are both essential for a team. When supervising any group, a person needs to know when to lead, and when to manage, and how to know the difference:
MANAGEMENT:
Optimization of those operations essential for function of the mission while minimizing disruptive change.
LEADERSHIP:
A great supervisor knows when to wear either hat.
For example (in a corporate environment):
Paychecks typically flow out every two weeks to all colleagues. A great manager knows how to optimize that activity so it works well without interruption. Colleagues know the expectation and are happy.
When to put on the leadership hat:
Imagine a paycheck systems change or a software upgrade which might require the organization to change from generating paychecks every two weeks - to twice a month. This creates a very different bank schedule for everyone involved, and it has massive knock-on impacts on the team and their families.
A great leader knows how to inspire and lead that change, when required, with all on board to make the payment scheduling change happen for best mission execution. Then, soonest, that great supervisor then reverts back to Management mode to optimize the execution of the new, stable payment schedule, terminating the change.
Can you imagine a supervisor who would continuously meddle with the paycheck processing schedule? Disaster! But occasionally, leading the team to change when required for the system? Sure.
A great supervisor knows the difference between these two activities, Leadership and Management - and knows when to put on the Manager Hat and when to put on the Leader Hat to create the most consistent success for the team.
Both Management and Leadership are critical functions for a Supervisor - The key is to know how and when to wear each hat.
We decentralized until it made us uncomfortable, and it was right there - on the brink of instability- that we found our sweet spot."
General Stanley McCrystal
We said goodbye to my best friend today. 14.5 years old. She has caught 10,000 frisbees for me....
An amazing, beautiful, majestic, athletic, empathetic friend.
Here's her story (from a post far below):
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Leadership is a Gift. It's given by those who follow. But you have to be worthy of it. - General Mark Welsh, US Air Force Academy 2011 |
The Step.
The one thing all aviators share, regardless of which airplane they fly, is the Step. The Step is anticipates. The Step transforms. The Step is confident. And the Step can sometimes be a fearful, courageous move. The Step is one of those few things that only aviators do. The Step is the glorious space of time between which an aviator makes the decision to go out and fly - that point when he or she commits to leave the ground in the machine - and the moment the engine begins turning. This short period is known as the Step, and every Aviator knows just what it means.
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| 22 October 2019 |
"Since turbulent conditions appear everywhere and pervade our lives in both time and space, learning in permanent whitewater conditions is and will continue to be a constant way of life for all of us. There are no boundaries to learning. Learning as a way of being is a natural mode of being that is more important than ever in a complex and unstable environment."
“The wingman is
absolutely indispensable. I look after my wingman. My wingman looks after me...wars are
not won by individuals. They're won by teams.” |
| A Servant Leader Can Transform a Team with a Change in the Leader's Mindset -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
