Control things – not people

The discussion about what distinguishes a manager from a leader pops up on a regular basis. Yesterday Terina Allen (strategist, leadership consultant and speaker) shared some interesting thoughts in an article in Forbes:

• You can have a management position without leading anyone.
  Management is about managing a project, a budget, a process, or a whole company – responsibilities that should, and can be supervised and controlled.
• Anyone in the company can be a leader.
  Leadership is about influencing other people, which works in all directions within the organization without regard to titles. Leadership exists on all levels.
• We can control things – not people.
  However, we can try to influence people and their behaviors through leadership.
• Control people – and miss out on competence.
  Managing people means that their power and choices are limited. In the long run, it means that the company misses out on their competence.

Terina’s conclusion: “Manage the things you need to manage, but lead the people you are supposed to lead.”

Her conclusion suits our view on leadership: to be a role model that sets the framework and create the conditions for all employees to work towards the passion and make wise decisions for the whole. Simply put, a leadership that makes it possible for the employees to be self-driven!

Evelina, TXP

Do you want to know more about how we work with leadership? Click here!