This question has been debated by many people FAR wiser and more experienced than me, yet a program I was recently involved with caused me to have another look at this question.
I’ve heard (and subscribed to) the theory that leadership is more important than management-starting with Bennis’ comment that managers do things right, leaders do the right things. Mintzberg and others have pushed back on the overblown significance on leadership (the people and exciting part) as being more important than management-management is somehow a distant relative in the universe of leadership development-somewhat lower on the ranking order.
This past week, I heard a senior leader give a short and succinct summary when he was talking with his executive team about the importance of enterprise thinking. He noted that “leadership is the ability to motivate people and manage processes”. He went on to say that both are critically important, especially when you are looking at declining resources for initiatives.
So, how do you balance the leadership and management aspect?
