I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the fact that I had a chance to read a lot.

If you give people tools, [and they use] their natural ability and their curiosity, they will develop things in ways that will surprise you very much beyond what you might have expected. ~Bill Gates

Inseparability of Leadership and Management

I have always argued that you cannot take leadership apart from business management. While leadership and management are two distinct functions, they are in fact inseparable. A good manager is almost always a good leader, vis a vis a good leader is a good manager.

Many management authors still uphold the separation of the two, or make one a part of the other. Take for example this online article: The Difference Between a Manager and a Leader:

Leadership is just one of the many assets a successful manager must possess. Care must be taken in distinguishing between the two concepts. The main aim of a manager is to maximize the output of the organization through administrative implementation. To achieve this, managers must undertake the following functions: organization, planning, staffing, directing, and controlling. Leadership is just one important component of the directing function. A manager cannot just be a leader; he also needs formal authority to be effective

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If you keep your eyes open, you’ll never stop being amazed. Jason Alba of JibberJobber.com quoted stats generated by JobBait (a resume mass mailing company) claiming (tongue-in-cheek) that “Networking Doesn’t Work”. But Mark Hovind’s (JobBait’s president) numbers also claimed that mass mailing 3,500 pieces of junk mail works 85% of the time for executive and managerial jobs. Maybe these stats were from the good-old 1970’s.

It made me laugh, because the statement is just so blatantly wrong. Networking is a very effective way for subject matter experts to find the best jobs – that goes for face-to-face and online networking.

Of course networking doesn’t work if a job seeker under utilizes networking opportunities.

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“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution, which rejects progress, is the cemetery. “~Harold Wilson

My consulting takes me sometimes to organizations that seem to love the status quo. They will cling to it, fight for it, and drown anyone who tries to rock their boat. It is not easy. My role is made even more difficult by the fact that I am usually being hired in order to look into this status quo and initiate changes.

Organizational Change

I normally ask; why these things are being done this way? Alternatively, why does the system go that way and not the other way? The typical answers I get: Well, you have to admit that things are as they are. Followed by a frowned forehead and shrug of a shoulder. Why do people react that way? For the last 5 years, that continues to puzzle me. No matter how prepared you are to preclude objections and have clarified your objectives, people will naturally resist change.

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“Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is leadership. If you seek to lead, invest at least 50% of your time in leading yourself—your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct. Invest at least 20% leading those with authority over you and 15% leading your peers.” — Dee Hock, Founder and CEO Emeritus, Visa

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