The 108 Skills of Natural Born Leaders

99. Position the Players

People need to know the part they must play to achieve results. A lack of role clarity (e.g., "What am I supposed to do here?") is a key reason people experience stress and conflict at work. Master leaders position the players so they know their role in the leader's course of action.

Positioning players differs from the management role of hiring and assigning the best people to the job best for them. Leaders gain followers who carry out responsibilities that move the leader's agenda. Managers assign subordinate roles. Managers can always default to their authority and say, "Do what I tell you," or "That's the job I hired you to do," or "You will have to stay in this job until we can find another one for you." Leaders ...