There seems to be some confusion about leaders and managers. It’s important to know the difference. Every organization needs both managers and leaders, but not in the same numbers. And, the role of leadership is radically different from the role of managers.

Managers are maintainers. A good manager controls and steadies the organization. Managers are fiscal conservatives who maintain their budget and work within defined parameters. The larger an organization grows, the more managers it needs to direct the activities of the operations.

On the other hand, there are several characteristics that distinguish a leader from a manager. Leadership requires vision, taking chances and changing directions. An organization without leaders or with managers for leaders is doomed to the success opportunities of the status quo.

Leaders benchmark best practices or in other words they compete, keep score and they try to win. Leaders realize that competition is a driving force in people’s lives. People like to play on teams. They take satisfaction in the recognition that comes from winning.

Leaders change organizations. This is not easy. All organizations and people resist and usually defeat change. The organizational homeostasis increases with size and the complexity of the operation. Leadership remembers to describe and sell the change benefits often because they know the struggle to get there can be overwhelming.

Leaders inspire followers. The changes required will create confusion, anxiety and resistance from a majority of the people involved. There is a psychological process that a leader can push, but not rush. Everybody takes time to emotionally reprogram themselves as they un-hook from a past order of things, then drift in transitions, and re-hook to the new order of things.

The leader must also create communication systems to let everyone know instantly and constantly that everyone else is also participating in the program, hurting, and creatively applying themselves in extra ways. Without this feedback, the committed people lose hope by assuming that others aren't helping and that a few individuals can't carry the rest. With continuous news of small wins coming from a broad group, the borderline participants are encouraged to join the cause. And, if the coasters are not getting recognition or are exposed for lagging behind, then they will improve or leave to work for a low-performance employer.

Good leadership in the cleaning industry is rare. Mostly we see management in organizations. There are many important programs that all companies wish they could install, but overcoming the status quo with good transformational leadership ability is in short supply. Programs to improve the quality of services are intuitively appealing to all employees, but the odds for success will be low if leaders forget to accommodate the psychological and physiological processes that underlie any significant change.




POSTED ON: 7/1/2005