How to Have Leadership Skills as a Manager

Leaders inspire while managers supervise.

Managers do things right while leaders do the right thing, says author Warren Bennis. Harvard professor Abraham Zaleznik wrote that leaders thrive on chaos, while managers seek order, control and a methodical resolution of problems. You have to be both leader and manager to succeed as a business executive. Steve Jobs inspires innovation but he also understands how to manage a complex business. Sutton suggests that to do the right thing, leaders must understand the managerial skills required to do things right.

Instructions

1. Communicate with your employees continually. Harvard Business School professor Nitin Nohria told Deborah Blagg of "Harvard Business School Bulletin" that leaders know how to reach people through logic, emotion and shared values. Leaders know how to use simple words to explain difficult concepts. Your actions should match your words or you will lose credibility. For example, you cannot preach cost savings one day and then fly off at company expense to a golf retreat the next day. You cannot promise accessibility, but spend your days cloistered with only your senior executives.

2. Tell the hard truths. Managers might want to gloss over complexities because they want their operations to run smoothly, but Nohria believes that leaders are not afraid to confront challenges and continue to lead their employees forward. Leaders do not shy away from making difficult decisions because that is how transformative change begins. It is during a deep recession or under intense competitive pressure that a manager often becomes a leader.

3. Get your hands dirty. Get involved in the day-to-day operational details. If you focus on strategy at the expense of operations, you will lose sight of the realities of cost and schedule and your short- and medium-term business performance will suffer. Sutton believes that successful managers and leaders have the ability to switch back and forth between the day-to-day operational details of a business and long-term strategic planning.

4. Build the capabilities of your middle management team. The product managers, project leaders and department managers are the people who carry out a company's major initiatives. Consultant and MIT lecturer Jonathan Byrnes wrote that the flexibility and leadership skills of middle managers determine how effectively a company responds and adapts to changes in the business environment. Zaleznik suggests that mentoring is an effective way to develop future leaders.

5. Stay grounded in your core beliefs. Harvard professor Bill George wrote that leaders and managers often lose their way because they yield to temptations. They forget that leadership is about serving and helping others, not about personal gratification. Surround yourself with independent people who are not afraid to tell you things you might not want to hear. Reach out to friends, family, senior board members and others to stay centered.

References

• "Harvard Business Review"; True Leaders Are Also Managers; Robert I. Sutton; August 2010
• "Harvard Business School Bulletin"; What Makes a Good Leader?; Deborah Blagg, et al.; February 2001
• Harvard Business School Working Knowledge; Middle Management Excellence; Jonathan Byrnes; December 2005
• "Harvard Business Review"; Managers and Leaders: Are They Different?; Abraham Zaleznik; 2001
• Harvard Business School Working Knowledge; Why Leaders Lose Their Way; Bill George; June 2011