The Guru Nation Blog

Here’s the big issue on the table! Too many people over-manage and under-lead. It happens because there isn’t enough clarity on leadership versus management.

It’s confusing because most leaders want to solve problems, provide choices, find answers, and avoid a lack of clarity. In reality, they should re-visit their leadership versus management approach and challenge others to find solutions, ask teams to provide effective choices, encourage employees to find answers, and delegate authority to establish clear direction.

The leadership versus management concept gives a leader the opportunity to create a development plan for every person on the team. Each person’s development should not be arbitrary. With a mindset of “which employee could benefit most from this assignment?” as a process for grooming, a leader can in fact “lead” someone to higher productivity and capability versus manage the task for them. The process also requires proper briefing, so your team doesn’t mis-understand you intentions. No one should feel you’re handing off work just because you don’t have time for it!

The debate goes on. Judith Glaser in her book Creating We and Cy Wakeman, (executive coach) in her recent interview on The Guru Nation both addressed tenets of leadership versus management. Judith discussed lowering the bar to get greater performance from certain employees instead of trying to manage things for them, and encouraging “we” conversations that create collaborative leadership. Cy Wakeman suggested that over-managing and under-leading was a tendency all too familiar in most companies because managers learn “to do” or “to tell” versus learning “to ask” or “to acknowledge.”  Both women argue quite passionately that leadership versus management is about calling your employees to a standard of excellence, holding them accountable for great achievement, and supporting them to find meaningful engagement.

Facilitative leadership requires a leap of intention and direction.
If your intention is to provide true leadership training and development for your team, then you have to leap into a facilitative leadership mindset that uses delegation as a development tool, not a “dumping ground” for tasks you don’t have time for. Delegation becomes core to the facilitative leadership effort, and asks that you begin to use your work to develop and teach others.

How can facilitative leadership make a difference? And how can you decide what to delegate?
According to Cy Wakeman, an executive coach who works with large teams of people inside of Fortune 500 companies, facilitative leadership can help to raise the capability level of anyone on your team. Cy suggests the following:

1.    Delegate work that can specifically bring about growth. Don’t deprive your employees of the development opportunities they crave.
2.    Delegate what you would not pay yourself to do. In evaluating the best use of your time, you can determine what to delegate. What you assign to others should facilitate their learning while giving you time to focus on the things that need your keen attention.
3.    Delegate by thinking big. The most effective facilitative leadership looks at the large canvas of possibilities for our teams and facilitates learning by assigning “big” in order to enhance skill development and learning.
4.    Delegate with a growth plan in place. Smart leaders don’t toss up work for the grab or give-away. They set up a strategic facilitation plan and track results.

When facilitative leadership is used effectively, leaders will challenge employees to use best talents and develop more quickly. But it’s not always easy to effect.  Today’s leaders still drift back to the “over manage and under lead” scenario because it’s familiar. Here’s where the leap comes in. With just a slight mindset shift, you can leap to a facilitative leadership platform and “dive” into developing your human resources by simply reframing how and when you delegate.

At the most recent Global Athenaeum summit in New York, futurist Edie Weiner asked her audience “what is leadership?” and suggested that the answer could be found in the common threads between Mother Teresa and Adolph Hitler.  She boldly told her audience that in researching what leadership actually was, and how we could define it, she was able to answer the “what is leadership?” inquiry by studying the three things Hitler and Mother Teresa had in common.

Here are the three things Edie saw:

1.    A strong, unwavering vision and an extreme passion for that vision
2.    An ability, in words and deeds, to articulate the vision so passionately that the “dis-interested” would follow
3.    A commitment so strong that there is absolutely no embarrassment about the vision

The “what is leadership?” question is more specifically broken down into five key challenges now on the table for effective 21st century leaders.
Here is a summary of the “commandments” that Edie Weiner spoke about:

1.    Take the lead from those at all levels of the organization and outside of the organization. Leadership requires listening, and often to voices
within the organization, not just atop it. When we ask for ideas from the “trenches” we are challenging people to be more creative and find solutions.

2.    Place emphasis and value on integrity over quality. When the leader of the organization insists on integrity and fair dealings with all stakeholders, quality and commitment become the natural and desired end product.

3.     Value intangibles. When too much emphasis is put on a balance sheet, we forget to calibrate the value of ideas, reputation, knowledge, time.

4.    Move from mankind to mind-kind. Focus your organization on re-thinking opportunity, and direct your efforts from input to output.

5.    Respect the earth. Leadership will require a new focus on preserving the land and the planet, not raping it. There is no integrity in depleting the world.

As leadership continues to be the subject of books, articles, and classroom debate, the what is leadership core will circle back to A guardianship view of the world, a new view to collaboration versus top-down leadership, and an inspired vision to preserve and respect the natural resources that surround us.

No matter your gender and leadership style, speaking publicly to your customers, teams, or Board of Directors requires a mastery of presentation skills.
Women and men alike want to impress. Leaders want to make their mark.
It all happens by starting with the actual sound of your voice.
Direct from the voice-over artists, coaches, and stage directors inside our network, here are the 4 no-fail tips you can use to enhance your leadership image regardless of your gender.

Tip #1:
Talk from the middle of your body.
Too many people talk from their throat or their neck.
Put your hand on your neck to see how much vibration you feel.
Your voice should be coming from your entire body cavity and chest, not stuck in your throat or neck. A richer and fuller voice helps improve your delivery and your presence.

Tip#2:
Moderate the volume knob.
A confident voice is not too loud or too soft.
Set up a mock audience and try to speak at different tones to see how you are heard. Your image is more refined and powerful when your voice is not overpowering.

Tip#3:
Say “no” to up-talking!
Some people believe they can present well if they up-talk at the end of their sentences and some don’t know they do it.
When you up-talk, you actually sound like you’re asking a question and need approval.  Worse yet, you send a message that you’re not secure and confident about your image. Practice talking without bringing your voice to an “up-note” and you’ll see how your image changes.

Tip#4:
Use less salt and pepper.
We all use salt and pepper to give us time to think. It’s the “uh” or “ummm” or “right” that we toss into our language.
Presentations are stronger without it.
Less salt and pepper shows you have rehearsed, know your material, and feel confident with the direction of your presentation.
The more you can drop the salt and pepper, the better an image you present.