The requirements for a modern manager imply, first and foremost, high professionalism and competence. However, management theorists and practitioners perceive the meaning of these familiar concepts differently. For some, a manager is a highly qualified specialist with technical and economic knowledge; for others, they are a production organizer performing administrative functions. Until recently, claims that a manager's work should be considered a distinct profession caused misunderstanding and even protest. In public opinion, the idea of management as a profession is still associated solely with an authoritarian-bureaucratic system.
There is also an equally acute problem of personal choice that faces everyone promoted to a management position: can I be a manager, do I want to be one, and is it worth doing? Today, close attention is paid to finding reliable indicators that would allow predicting the characteristic features of leadership abilities.
Let us ask ourselves: how do the roles of a leader and a manager relate to each other? In other words, must a manager necessarily be a leader, and if so, what kind?
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Leader |
Manager |
|
"This issue needs to be studied..." |
"Nobody knows anything about this..." |
|
"I will make time for this" |
"Where do you think I will find the time for this?" |
|
"Let's get to the point" |
"Oh, it's hard to say anything definite here" |
|
"I didn't express myself clearly enough" |
"You misunderstood me" |
|
"I made a mistake and I will fix it" |
"It's not my fault" |
|
"Tell me..." |
"As I have said more than once..." |
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"This can be done better" |
"We have always done it this way" |
|
"Let's try to be flexible" |
"That's exactly what the instructions say" |
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"Let's develop good proposals for the management" |
"The management will never understand this" |
|
"Live and learn" |
"Do you know how much experience I have?" |
|
"That's an interesting thought" |
"We have never done it that way" |
Behavior of a Leader and a Manager
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Leader |
Manager |
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The more they work, the more time they have left |
Never has enough time to do what is necessary |
|
"Digs into" the problem |
Tries to avoid the problem but constantly runs into it |
|
Makes commitments |
Makes promises |
|
Knows when to fight and when to retreat |
Retreats when they need to fight, and stands their ground when it makes no sense |
|
Feels strong enough to be benevolent to others |
Rarely treats others benevolently. Either feels their own weakness or acts like a tyrant. |
|
Knows how to listen to others |
Does not listen, but waits for their turn to speak |
|
Respects people who are more capable than them and tries to learn from them |
Does not acknowledge the abilities of others, looks for their weaknesses |
|
Explains |
Makes excuses |
|
Feels responsible not only for their part of the work but for the entire task as a whole |
Says: "I am just a small cog in the machine" |
|
Sets their own work pace |
Only has two speeds: hysterical and apathetic |
|
Uses time to become better |
Uses time to avoid criticism |
|
Is not afraid to make a mistake in order to improve |
Is afraid of making a mistake |
|
Focuses on opportunities |
Focuses on difficulties |
|
Looks for a solution |
Looks for an excuse |
One of the first sets of requirements for a leader was formulated by Onasander the Byzantine and Maurice (6th century):
"A leader was expected to be pious and just, experienced in their field, intelligent, and decisive. They should treat everything calmly and unperturbedly, be simple and restrained in behavior, not care too much about themselves and their needs, and beware of greed and self-interest, for a self-interested person is disliked by their own people and despised by enemies.
A leader must protect the rights of subordinates, sleep little, and spend the night thinking about what needs to be done in the future. Having made a decision, they must act quickly, as a favorable opportunity is rare and must be seized. Not becoming arrogant in success and not losing heart in failure are signs of a firm and unyielding mind."
So, what are the main characteristics of leadership? First of all, it is intuition — the ability to feel and understand the essence of what is happening directly, without formal proofs and quantitative justifications. Imagination allows a leader, based on life experience, accumulated knowledge, and observations, to mentally envision situations, actions, behavior, and people's reactions. A leader must create and stimulate an atmosphere of creativity and initiative, develop a network of informal communications, find an individual approach when interacting with employees, have a keen sense of the psychological climate, and captivate others with their ideas.
Leadership is an individual management style expressed in the most effective form of organizational behavior. It is the ability to take risks, high efficiency, and a constant desire to be the best.
The age of a manager. Many questions are associated with it: are there any age standards, what is the optimal age for managers, etc. What do we know about this? For instance, the average age of presidents of large Japanese companies is 63 years, while for American ones it is 59 years.
The history of entrepreneurship shows that very young people often stood at the origins of the creation of today's largest giants. Akio Morita, the founder and head of the famous SONY, was 25 years old on the day the company was established. The future billionaire and president of Occidental Petroleum, Armand Hammer, earned his first million at the age of 21. But at the same time, note: A. Morita and A. Hammer continued to work brilliantly even at a very respectable age.
Managers should never deceive themselves into believing that just because they hold high positions, they automatically become leaders. Effective leadership is a unique blend of official position and behavioral style. It is an achievement that no organizational structure can bestow. There are no honorary leaders. Effective leadership can only be earned through hard work, enthusiasm, and commitment to set goals.