Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out. – Stephen Covey, Author and Speaker
The ability to prioritize in what can appear like an avalanche of tasks and responsibilities is one of the strongest requirements of leadership. Putting first things first might sound simple when there is a handful of tasks to accomplish, but that changes when dozens of business interests all scream for attention and there is no clear roadmap to follow. That is when the ability to decide on what comes first is in top demand, but also the ability to review and adept when needed.
On the other hand, management requires execution of those tasks to be able to fulfill the set priorities. Without that, the leadership role would be forced to reevaluate priorities almost perpetually. This also means that strong and effective leadership fully depends on strong and effective management and execution.
There is a tendency among several leadership coaches to address management as something less than leadership, which is wrong in too many ways to describe in these nudged posts that are created to make you think. Let us accept that management and leadership go hand in hand and depend on each other. And in all cases, leaders need to manage, and managers need to lead. Effectively!
Dr. ir Johannes Drooghaag – CEO Spearhead Management