{"id":1738,"date":"2018-08-15T13:32:14","date_gmt":"2018-08-15T13:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/?p=1738"},"modified":"2023-04-23T11:18:05","modified_gmt":"2023-04-23T15:18:05","slug":"never-use-leadership-and-management-are-different-as-an-excuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/never-use-leadership-and-management-are-different-as-an-excuse\/","title":{"rendered":"Never Use \u201cLeadership and Management Are Different\u201d as an Excuse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leadership is a critical component of any successful organization. It involves guiding and inspiring people towards a common goal or objective, and it requires a range of skills including decision-making, communication, delegation, and motivation. However, leadership and management are often confused or used interchangeably, which can lead to excuses for poor performance.<\/p>\n

I have written on several occasions about\u00a0leadership versus management<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Naturally, I pointed out how they are different. \u00a0But that doesn\u2019t mean that they aren\u2019t related. \u00a0And it doesn\u2019t absolve a leader for management lapses.<\/p>\n

Consider this\u2026a poorly managed organization simply cannot have its leader considered to be a good leader. \u00a0If the organization is running poorly, it\u2019s because of bad leadership.<\/p>\n

I usually don\u2019t speak in absolutes, but this time I will. \u00a0If an organization is experiencing problem after problem after problem, it has a sh***y leader. \u00a0No exceptions.<\/p>\n

That leader may say \u201cIt\u2019s not my fault. \u00a0I\u2019m the leader. \u00a0I am not managing operations. \u00a0I am not involved in the day-to-day tactical stuff. \u00a0Things will get straightened out eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s using \u201cleadership and management are different\u201d as an excuse. \u00a0An unacceptable excuse.<\/p>\n

Good leaders do not let their organizations flounder. \u00a0If a process is broken, the leader will lead the fixing of that process. \u00a0If an employee is problematic, the leader will either correct the employee\u2019s performance or replace the employee. \u00a0As I\u2019ve said before, \u201cevery leader is a coach, and coach is a verb as well as a noun<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

And \u201cI inherited my employees\u201d isn\u2019t an excuse either. \u00a0Great leaders make their people better or they move them out. \u00a0Yes, it takes guts to fire an employee, especially if you\u2019re new to an organization. \u00a0But, anyone without guts is not cut out for leadership. \u00a0Leadership is only for the courageous<\/a>. \u00a0Sorry, not sorry.<\/p>\n

Great leaders run organizations that get purchased goods and services delivered on time without experiencing\u00a0supplier problems<\/a>, have technology that makes operations efficient, pay suppliers on time, have employees that are busy but not overwhelmed, and achieve financial numbers that improve quarter over quarter and year over year.<\/p>\n

So, if an organization isn\u2019t getting their goods and services delivered on time, or has problems with its suppliers, or finds that technology is causing as many problems as it solves, or has suppliers complaining about late payment, has overwhelmed employees, or finds that its revenue and\/or profit margin is shrinking rather than growing, then that organization has a bad leader. \u00a0No other explanation is required.<\/p>\n

Doesn\u2019t matter who in the trenches may be at fault. \u00a0The leader has allowed the poor performance to happen. \u00a0Doesn\u2019t matter if there are managers directly responsible for execution. \u00a0Bad performance indicates bad leadership.<\/p>\n

While leadership and management are indeed separate disciplines, you cannot separate results from leadership. \u00a0If the results suck, leadership sucks. \u00a0Management is almost irrelevant. \u00a0If the leaders aren\u2019t taking corrective action with managers, the appropriate\u00a0corrective action is to send the leader packing.<\/p>\n

Not everyone is cut out for leadership. \u00a0And anyone who isn\u2019t cut out for leadership should step back into a non-leadership role. \u00a0It doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re not a great business person. \u00a0Only that leadership ain\u2019t your bag, baby. \u00a0There\u2019s no shame in that.<\/p>\n

If you are a leader and intend to stay one, I hope that this unvarnished rant inspires you to continue to hold yourself accountable to being a great leader as well as holding yourself accountable for\u00a0having a well-managed organization. \u00a0Without excuses.<\/p>\n

Become a member of one of the world\u2019s largest procurement associations today.<\/a><\/p>\n

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