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The Difference Between Being a Leader and Being "The Man"
29 February 2024
How to implement positive leadership tactics in your business.
Many articles and posts have been written about leadership vs. management, and when each may be called for. But let's get into the specifics here: how do you show up to your employees as an empowering leader rather than "The Man" who makes them want to rebel?
Consider the analogy of using the carrot (reward) vs. the stick (punishment).
The Man (or The Woman, of course) focuses primarily on the stick, and may forget about the carrot altogether. This type of boss will demand, coerce, punish, and react. If employees follow at all, it's be because they have to, not because they're inspired or they align with the company vision (which they may not even understand). If you're this type of boss, you likely get a push-back or even blatant refusal when you instruct employees on policies or procedures. And even when a leader has the best of intentions, once employees and managers rebel, the leader naturally moves even more firmly into The Man category, making even stronger demands, and the situation continues its downward spiral.
In general, a good leader will use the carrot more than the stick. Leaders work to convince, inspire, reward, and respond. When faced with an issue, they'll investigate and look to solve the bigger picture rather than reacting to a specific situation out of context. At times they'll have to make demands, but wherever possible they'll give the reason behind it to help get the team on board. When they ultimately need to use a stick, leaders will carefully consider whether the situation calls for a big club, or if maybe a popsicle stick could be sufficient.
Example: John is late for work a second day in a row.
- The Man will react. He'll reprimand John (potentially using a pre-determined point system) because tardiness is unacceptable.
- The leader will respond. He'll ask what's going on and, upon learning that John's wife is sick and he's been on his own to get the kids to school, he may simply adjust John's morning schedule to minimize business impact during this temporary family situation.
Which of these two bosses will John choose to follow for the long-term? And even more importantly... which one has actually helped the problem? Despite his best intentions, John may be late again the third day, and only the second boss has put a plan in place to protect the business from this possibility.
Last thing: be aware that every company has a leader. If it's not the owner/manager, it's likely another employee. This individual may not have positional authority, but is able to inspire and convince others to follow. And if this unofficial leader's way of thinking is at odds with the company's goals, you're going to end up with conflict. Having informal leaders isn't a bad thing in itself, as long as you understand who they are and can focus your leadership tactics on them specifically. If you can convince and inspire your company's leaders to work with you rather than against you, you're well on your way to a cohesive team with everyone willingly moving in the same direction to help your company succeed.
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