Leadership vs. Management

Another article from Inbound Logistics magazine -- this one focusing on what makes a Logistics Leader. While the article talks about Logistics and the leadership required in the field, its generalities speaks to leadership in general. The following are highlights from the article I found interesting enough to underline while being jerked about on the subway this afternoon.

Great leaders maximize ROI by inspiring their organizations to achieve goals. "As a leader, you must understand the surroundings and you must win the hearts and minds of your team to be successful. A great leader is able to bring the best out of each person whether on the warehouse floor or in the executive wing." Vision: "The vision is really a dream with a deadline ... leaders create something that becomes a passion for everybody."  -- need to differentiate from the present state -- "leadership evolves around change" Inspiration and motivation: inspire others to pursue their vision Empowerment: "create an environment that allows people to exercise their talents and maximize their potential" Authenticity: a certain degree of integrity, respect for others, and an ethical and moral framework from which they operate -- Good leaders inspire confidence, and relish -- and seek -- responsibility and accountability.  -- "Leaders who are loyal to the organization, the people they work with, and themselves is a valuable commodity. They understand the power that loyalty and integrity bring and the confidence they instill." Leaders or Managers?  Don't confuse leadership with management. "Leading means inspiring and enabling an organization," says Ralph Drayer. "Managers don't really inspire or lead an organization; they are there to manage a group of people. It's more administration than leadership."  -- "Leadership means holding people responsible and capable of performing a mission."  -- "Management is focused on effective deployment of resources, systems, and processes."  -- "Execution involves getting people to do what needs to be done. Having a vision and giving people hope -- those are big parts of leadership."  -- "You can be a good manager and not be a good leader; you can be a good leader and not be a good manager."