Newsletter - February 2008
Do You Manage by Leading or Lead by Managing? A Case for Critical Thinking
February 14, 2008 - Dr. David C. Miles
The question-do you manage by leading or lead by managing?-is not meant to be a rhetorical question but one for you to analyze how you approach your role in your organization.
Of course there are other combinations of this question in addition to the two in the title. These include:
1) Do you lead by leading? ("C" level)
2) Do you manage by managing? (most managers)
3) Do you manage by doing the work? (technical professionals) and
4) Do you do the work? (supervisors or workers)
Over the years, we have blurred the lines in titles and expectations to these commonly accepted 6 categories. For the focus of this perspective, I will stay with the first two combinations in the title of this article-do you manage by leading or lead by managing?
To clarify any definitional perspective, by far the most desirable for an organization when focusing on the senior executive is to have an individual who leads by leading. We tend to understand this best after some period of time passes, and we can make a less emotive evaluation of the individual's performance. For example, many would say that business icons like Henry Ford, Jack Welch, and Lee Iacocca are examples of leaders who led their organizations.
It is important to clarify a point of definition between the words leader and manager, for the focus of this article. There are many, many definitions, but I would like to stay simplistic. Managing is about the here and now and immediate short-term issues. It is about hands-on directing and controlling the process through tactical approaches. Leading is a long-term perspective by setting strategy over multiple horizons. Others then create and implement tactics and operating plans and tasks. While this descriptor is over simplified, there often can be a fine line between managing and leading, but that is not the focus of the initial title question.
The question then becomes how do you move from leading by managing (too much hands-on) to the higher level of managing by leading (more strategic and less tactical)? Most of us move into a higher-level position by working hard and producing results and then are rewarded with a promotion. We tend then to do more of what we did in the past, because that is what we were rewarded for! Yet we lead by still managing. This really is NOT leadership.
Managing by leading recognizes that our positions are typically not all allocated to pure leadership issues. We must continue to do some managerial work. But, our new role does require us to make decisions when no textbook answer is appropriate or exists.
The skill that demonstrates managing by leading is called "critical thinking." This skill has been identified by a number of recent studies. In fact it has been identified as one of the skills most missing in new graduates entering the workforce.
In the past, many growth managers have subscribed to the "expert theory" of leadership. In other words, there exists a correct textbook answer to every problem. Therefore, we falsely assumed there is a proven correct answer for every situation that one would encounter. All we needed was to find that person with the answer to solve the problems.
The truth is that we now realize that this is not the case. With the new complexities of a global society and world of business, we will continually face issues and situations for which there simply are no correct answers or demonstrated best decisions to make. We all will be forced to use critical thinking to make the best possible choices when these situations arise.
Examples of recent events are easy to understand that critical thinking has or has not been implemented. Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 produced many stories that describe how these events were handled-some extremely well and many poorly handled. From these lessons we can learn the principles of effective critical thinking.
The good news is this skill can be learned and integrated into your organization. It is not something that can happen overnight, but once integrated into the culture and supported on a daily basis, you can effectively manage by leading. Hopefully, you can begin to move higher where you will have the opportunity to lead by leading.
The next article will provide an overview of what being a critical thinking organization entails.
For further reading and understanding on this subject of critical thinking see: Executive Intelligence: What All Great Leaders Have by Justin Menkes (HarpersCollins Publishers, New York, NY, 2005)
Dr. David Miles is managing partner of OI Partners - Miles LeHane Companies (Leesburg, VA), a career management consulting firm specializing in HR consulting, executive coaching, career transition, and training and development. Previously, David had a broad 25-year career within the Saga/Marriott corporations. David received his Ed.D. degree in education and human development from The George Washington University in 2002. He can be contacted at 703-777-3370 or dmiles@oipartners.net.
