Once, a very successful someone in business told me that two most important things a manager should consider to have successful careers are "income" and "people". On first hand, what is essentially being asked of a manager is to deliver results, i.e. to generate income. However, on the second hand, a manager is "sold" by his team. That is to say, an Executive does everything through others, so it is so important that, as noted in the previous post, this Director knows how to win the admiration of his employees. It is impossible to get the desired results if the team is not motivated and the Director has not understood how to attract those employees with his/her vision.
This being the case, I find it appropriate to note that the concept of leadership has changed a lot since its beginnings just a century ago as a "manager" position. Historically this role was occupied in an organization in a generational manner (as in inherited). The figure of the professional manager, as seen today, is a relatively recent invention. In its infancy, this figure was originally associated with efficiency. The Director was asked to be a great performer. Today, while “results” can not be neglected, as an Executive one also needs to know to lead the way and therefore, in addition to performing, also act as a visionary of the company. In the previous post we talked about "values” as a fundamental prerequisite if a Manager wants to gain the admiration of his/her employees; "talent" and "maturity" also came up. However, I wouldn’t want to end this discussion without mentioning the 3 skills, which, in my mind, are more important for the correct fulfilling of a Director’s responsibilities. I am referring to: leadership, communication and teamwork. And when I say "team" I’m not referring to just divvying up the task, but to actually seek out and find the best available resource in each moment. It looks easy, but in fact, judging by the mistakes many managers make with this simple concept, is not.
These blunders and behaviors that undermine the credibility of Directors and their team’s motivation are usually because of a situational personality; that is to say, an Executive who manages depending on his/her mood, or even with the manual in hand. As they say "rules are made for normal situations”, but there are exceptions, where you can only come out victorious (and possibly even stronger) when one leads from one’s values. Other behaviors not compatible with value-based leadership are going around (or over) an employee, belittling him/her, replacing him/her, or not leading by example. In all these cases, apart from not getting optimum results, it is more than likely that this Manager’s department or organization will experience a “brain drain". In contrast, when management gains the admiration of its subordinates, it becomes the main element in retaining of talent. In my experience, the draw that an admired Executive can have on his/her team is amazing. If, as a Director, you have the opportunity to put these skills into practice, my advice is to experiment with your team and surely you will come to appreciate the benefits that I have mentioned here. Do you think your employees admire you or fear you? Examine your results and you’ll have your answer.