Are You Managing By Leading Or By Doing?
There are two styles of managers. The first type is “the doer”. He does it all, controls it all and everyone under the manager are his assistants. The manager makes all the key decisions and the employees simply implement if they can. This is most common. No one can make a decision without the manager, and the manager steps in to complete tasks and to correct and adjust the process when needed, and even if not needed. The second type is “the leader”. This is the manager who leads, not by doing the job but by teaching, directing, training and yes, leading his people to do the job with him being there to assist them every step of the way. Very few practice this but it’s the right way to go.
Managers gain full cooperation and commitment from the people they are responsible for by leading, not controlling, and by allocating responsibility to them and teaching them how to do better. They trust their employees to do the job well. Managers who accept responsibility for screw-ups and pass off the limelight to the individuals who deserve it to better the team who performs the tasks well are the true leaders. Managers who lead by example, working hard to manage effectively by showing, not doing, teaching and training employees how to be better are the most successful.
By contrast, managers who deflect criticism for failure, blaming staff and workers instead, undermine their own authority, their ability to lead, and the loyalty of the people on the team they should be trying to create. A true leader is invisible. A manager with ego driving him feels he must be in the spotlight at all times taking credit for success and deflecting failure to his men. This does not inspire long-term relationships, career path or peer development.
Managers who accept the responsibility of failure and give credit for success to the team and individuals who are performing well are managers that employees will walk the extra mile for, will stay late and come in early for. These leaders inspire employees to produce better product with fewer rejects and become team players working together for a common goal because there is reason to succeed. That works best of all.
Give to your men and they will return your leadership manyfold. Manage by doing and you sacrifice being a leader and become a babysitter instead. A leader develops the men into their own decision-makers and risk-takers, and by making decisions and taking risks they will frequently succeed and that’s very good. They may also fail occasionally but that, too, is acceptable. Without allowing your men to be decision-makers and risk-takers all you can do is babysit and that’s unproductive. Thus, the effective manager encourages his men to make decisions and take risk and supports them when they make mistakes or fail in their attempts. Supporting failure in this way supports growth and development, and builds confidence and teamwork as trust is developed between the manager and the workforce.
In short, try managing without doing. Pretend you cannot do but can only lead, teach, train and support. See what happens. Chances are, aside from your employees being at first shocked and then much happier and more productive and more successful, they will also build a better team and you will have to manage less and less as they get stronger and better.
