Tough Question to Answer

Should Leaders be Managers or is it even possible to be both? This is the question that may play on the minds of many business owners and managers but we need to bring it into perspective.

We are very quick to point out the difference between a leader and a manager. The important thing to remember is a sense of balance. Managers are focused on the bottom line and leaders are focused on people. As a leader, you would have been told that often. The thing is that you must do both. It is not one or the other or you will lose direction and end up not showing a profit. It is important then to remember that even though you provide leadership, you must do so in line with the company objectives.

This is where the real leaders step up by providing their team(s) with a clear goal and strategy. You can focus on the desired outcomes, but also have your team focused on the same thing. This is where engagement brings results. Answering “should leaders be managers” remains tricky but the answer is yes, where needed.

The Starting Point of Engagement

Value the input from your employees

No matter the size of your company, your employees possess specific skills and expertise. If you establish good communication platforms, they will contribute not just by performing their tasks, but also with ideas and/or suggestions. Be open and listen to them, evaluate them and only then make a decision. Do not bluntly discard or ignore them as this will lead to the input drying up.

Get rid of the “this is how we have always done it” statement and allow yourself, and your team, to try new ideas. Just imagine for a moment something that could save every employee 10 minutes a day and do the math on what this means to your bottom line.

Show your support

Make time to talk to your employees and find what works very well and what they struggle with. This is the perfect opportunity to listen and find ways to help them alleviate problem areas. It may not always be a quick fix, but by you showing an interest in their issues and working together to solve it, says a lot to them.

I recall an interview with a project manager that told me he does not need to go to site as his projects are straight forward and the client’s project manager is not on site either. The interesting part came when talking to his team and everyone said they wished he would come to site to see what they are doing and to see some of the issues they deal with. There is a golden opportunity for this project manager to, not only support his team, but to identify issues that could be eating away at the profit margin.

Need to know more?

If you understand the need for motivation in the workplace and the need for your leaders to be managers, where needed, but not sure how to implement it, contact Francois Korf at PCE Training and get the most out of your business through positive engagement.

Email: francois@pcetraining.com.au

Tel:     1300 663 331