Part 4: Valuing Leadership Over Management
One element of being effective is understanding the difference between managing others and leading them. Management is about handling things—numbers, facts, budgets, details, accounts, schedules, etc. Successful managers are people who can manage/control/handle responsibilities. Leadership, on the other hand, comes from the root “to go.” The word “leader” denotes moving forward and progress. Managing is about handling, but not necessarily about motion.
OWN YOUR TEAM’S DEVELOPMENT
It is very important that we, as leaders, determine what developmental stage our team is in, not only for the purpose of knowing our responsibilities, but because your team needs to work its way through the elements of each phase. There are valuable formation skills that are attained through each stage. Wise leaders regularly reflect on those under their care, both individually and as a team.
FORMING & STORMING
We can learn from the past. Past leaders. Past events. Past lessons. Several years ago, the National Research Laboratories examined successful teams from World War II to determine if there were common dynamics that contributed to their success. Their research defined four stages of successful team development. The first stage for team development is forming – the time when a team first comes together. The second stage of team development is called storming – the time when team members struggle with identifying their place within the team.