Interview with Ken Blanchard |
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<<Previous What according to you is the difference between a leader and a manager? I never got involved in the argument on who’s a leader and who’s a manager. Peter Drucker said that leadership is about doing the right things, and management is doing things right. I rather think that there are two roles to leadership. The first is establishing vision and direction. Leadership is about going somewhere. If your people don’t know where you’re going, your leadership doesn’t matter. They need to know what business you’re in and what your picture of the future is. They need to know who you are (your purpose), where you’re going (your picture of the future), what will guide your journey (your values) and what people should focus on (your goals). Once everybody knows where you’re going, the second part of leadership kicks in: Implementation. That’s when you turn the traditional pyramid upsidedown. And now the leaders who developed the vision are at the bottom, cheerleading, supporting, and encouraging everyone to live according to their vision and accomplish their goals. What role does a leader play in an organization’s long-term stability and growth? Leadership is essential to an organization’s long-term stability and growth because the leader needs to be like a third-grade teacher, telling everybody over and over again where you are going and how you will get there. Without that kind of focus on vision and direction, no organization will last for the long haul. Does one need to be a born leader or can he/she be groomed over time? There’s no doubt that some people are born leaders. They have the capacity to inspire and motivate others to accomplish goals. Can leadership be learned? Absolutely! I have spent over 40 years helping leaders do that very thing. My One Minute Manager series (The One Minute Manager, Putting the One Minute Manager to Work, Leadership and the One Minute Manager, The One Minute Manager Builds High Performing Teams, and Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager) all are directed at teaching leaders those very skills. |
