Moving From Management to Leadership

Whether you are the CEO of a company or a parent trying to run a successful household, l believe we all have the opportunity to rise to a new level of performance by adopting basic leadership practices. The difficulties that many of us face however come from distinguishing leadership from management. The two are very different and produce very different results. 

• Management focuses on counting things while Leadership focuses on things that count. Instead of centering your plan of actions on goals, metrics, deals, and other day to day distractions shift your focus to the things that matter most- your employees, your kids, developing meaningful relationships with partners and centers of influence. Don’t get me wrong, the day-to-day stuff matters but so many of us get bogged down by the noise of it all that we don’t take the time to develop our most important assets or resources- the people who help us achieve all those metrics in the first place! 
• Management is focused on the “here and now” while Leadership focuses on the possibilities of the future. We all face challenges, both in the office and at home. It can be so easy to get stuck in what is happening in the moment that we forget to look ahead and envision what is possible. Leaders look for ways to inspire a vision of the future and to help their followers (staff, children, etc.) to reach those new heights. This task requires passion, diligence, and the ability to maintain a positive outlook because there will always be roadblocks in the way. 
• Management delegates tasks while leadership develops skills. As the saying goes, “Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” The same is true with leadership. If we act as managers and just delegate tasks or give commands, we may get the results we want but will find ourselves having to turn around and repeat the process over and over again. Leaders who develop skills and explain the “why” behind things create self-sustaining, self-thinking individuals who are empowered to make a difference. 

Entire books can and have been written on management versus leadership and I’ve barely scratched the surface here. However, my hope is that you can use these three effective steps to experience success whether you’re in the office with your employees or at home with your loved ones. Good luck on the journey!

Brady Stratton | SVP Marketing/ CRA Officer
Brady has worked with First Community Bank for 12 years and is a recent graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School. He is passionate about communication, culture and leadership and helps to facilitate the bank’s Leadership Academy.