Employees don’t leave bad jobs; they leave bad bosses. With the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting 10.9 million available jobs in the U.S. as of the end of July (a net employment gain of 7 million over the past year), jobs are readily available for those who are looking to make a change. Now more than ever, it is important to make sure that the executives and supervisors in your organization are BOTH strong leaders and managers.
 
Regardless of your industry, if you have employees, you are in the people business. While planning out goals for Q4 and 2022, make growing in both leadership and management a priority for a people-centric organization. Growing in these areas allows you to improve your retention, instead of scrambling to recruit in this economic climate.
 

The difference between Leadership and Management

 
Though we often use the terms interchangeably, leadership and management are fundamentally different. No one wants to be managed, but we all need to be led. One key difference is that you lead people and manage processes.
 

Leadership:

 
Leadership is defined as influence through passion and focus. It is a behavior, not a job position. You don’t need to be a manager to be a leader – everyone in your organization CAN and SHOULD display leadership qualities. A leader is someone who helps their team find solutions by knowing the right questions to ask. They focus on the big picture of the company and help to inspire others through support and communication.
 
When focusing on how to grow leaders within your organization, have everyone work towards leading themselves first. What kind of energy do they need to motivate themselves to get the job done? What kind of communication (and how much) do they prefer when working as a team? What are their methods of following through with a task and following up with others when in need of information? How do they manage their time and impact?
 

Management:

 
As a business executive, management is handed to you along with your job title. Some functions of a manager include creating clear expectations and holding their team accountable for the productivity needed in their role. Managers facilitate team meetings to track progress towards goals and review the actions and results of each individual to determine their performance. Not all managers are good leaders – when focusing on the processes and procedures of your direct reports and teams, it’s easy to forget about the human behind the workload, and what they need to feel motivated and supported.
 
Most people don’t know how to manage. Often, employees are promoted to managers because they are good at their job, but do not have had previous management experience. If this is the case, you may want to invest in management training for your new managers. There is good management, bad management and micromanagement:
 

• Micromanagers watch too closely and tell the team what to do every step of the way.

 

• Bad managers have the “I leave my team alone to let them do their job” mentality. That is bad management because there is no management.

 

• Good managers ensure their team is competent and productive. They make sure their team can do the job to the best of their abilities, and are productive in getting the results needed.

 
As you are working on quarterly and annual planning, prioritize ways to make you and your executive team become better Leaders AND Managers. Call me for a complimentary leadership/management assessment!
 
PS – It is time to schedule your 2022 Annual Planning session. Call today to confirm an AddingZEROS Facilitator to maximize your impact. Ask about our Strategic Thinking Execution Planning process!