It's Not Rocket Science: 4 Simple Strategies for Mastering the Art of Execution

Chapter 11Do You Overmanage and Underlead?

The Challenge

One of the most common mistakes preventing a manager from reaching his or her potential is to overmanage and underlead. A surprising number of the leaders I have met don't even realize that there is a difference between management and leadership. Neither do they grasp that developing a balance of both skill sets is essential if they want to create a high-performing culture, build an outstanding team, and master the art of execution (MAX). Although I cannot explain as well in a few pages what takes me hours to cover in my Up Your Business seminar, I will outline a handful of key differences between management and leadership to improve both your appreciation for and perspective of the roles each plays in an organization's success. Evaluate your own tendencies, and determine which adjustments you should make to help you get the leaders right in your organization, starting with you.

Paperwork versus People Work—The Stuff versus the Team

Although it may seem like an oversimplification, here is perhaps the cleanest way to summarize the difference between management and leadership: Management is about paperwork whereas leadership is about people work. Management involves working with stuff. Leadership involves building and developing the team. Do not misunderstand what I am saying. Solid management and leadership are both equally important to the health of an organization. If you have great management but poor leadership, you ...