Open source: IMDB Photo Gallery; The Wolf of Wall Street (2013); Director: Martin Scorsese

Understanding

When it comes to leadership, not every manager is created equal. Anyone can become a manager in the workplace, but few actually understand what it means to be a leader Transcend_International. As I put my coffee down and thought about this for a minute I asked myself, would it still hold true if we said, ‘anyone can become a leader, but few actually understand what it means to be a manager?‘ I believe the answer is yes to both questions!

S.P.O.L.C

For those of us who may remember, Henry Fayol identified the management pillars of ‘Planning’; ‘Organising’; ‘Leading’ and ‘Controlling’ (P.O.L.C), although I would add Strategizing (S) to the acronym given its importance to the planning and organising functions making (S.P.O.L.C). As you will note, leadership is ‘one’ pillar and not necessarily the main one, although it becomes more important as we progress to more senior manager roles.

Manager support

We need elements from all the pillars with strengths and application in some being more important than others, depending on where you operate within the organisations ecosystem. And yet, how many individuals actually receive the hands on support they need to develop the skills and capabilities as a manager, in preparation for further progression to more senior management roles? In my experience and from others I’ve spoken to, not many!

Blockage

Understanding the challenge of what it takes to be an effective manager and how to lead when required, is key to helping emerging leaders move through the leadership pipeline. It’s where leadership starts to guide management activity through the organisation and a fundamental concept of what motivates a workforce and drives a successful business EH_Services. A Manager who skips stages of the pipeline, often fails or becomes a blockage.

Values

To be an effective manager, there needs to be an internal desire to both manage and lead, with a willingness to embrace the values required from both disciplines and function effectively. Management has always been about getting things done through others but in ways that build respect, engagement, collaboration and motivation to deliver great results. We rarely achieve anything on our own, no matter where we are in the pipeline.

Coaching

So, my narrative will be to try and explore this complex web of professional and personal development from manager to leader, and how coaching builds capability through learning, application and progression through the leadership pipeline. Throw into the mix addressing the gender imbalance of women in manager with leadership roles, and I think we’ve got a relevant and ongoing worthwhile topic to write about.