Leadership & Management
The A Team is back.
Last week (17 June 2024) I introduced what a team is, and how Leadership arises in a team.
You may refer to Leadership Weekly Note #2524 if needs be.
Leadership & Management
When I mention these two practices in the same sentence there is always questioning, and sometimes pushback.
As I expected, there were strong responses to last week’s Note that touched on leadership as an integral part of an A-Team’s functioning, but different and distinct from a team’s structure, roles and organisation.
So, it is worthwhile revisiting the relationship between leadership and management to clear up questions and settle the dust.
If you refer to the opening infographic you will see a standard Yin & Yang sign.
The form of the Yin & Yang sign, and its symbolism are a great way to think about and appreciate the relationship between Leadership and management.
For the sake of brevity, I have summarised the Yin & Yang of Leadership and management (L&M) in an A-Team down to eight ideas.
I use the abbreviation L&M to avoid clutter.
- L&M co-exist within an entity, a team—a community, a business, a family, a school—each within their respective spaces.
- L&M are not the same thing – they are two different human constructs that serve different purposes.
- L&M are dependent on each other.
- L&M are not at war with each other; they offer mutual recognition and respect.
- L&M have no hierarchy; they work symbiotically (cooperatively, harmoniously, cumulatively) towards a common purpose.
- L&M flow into all the spaces of their residence, the team, leaving no vacuum for other dynamics to fill or interfere.
- L&M find their balance as events, conditions and circumstances fluctuate, both internally and externally.
- L&M exist as part of a greater eco-system of other entities.
Reality Check
How many of the above check-list items describe your teams?
Perhaps you are one of the fortune few who has a functioning A-Team that can credibly tick off each item.
That is a fantastic and rare place to be—enjoy it and make it keep working.
Mostly, however, fully fit Yin & Yang Teams are scarce.
What we find in reality are not even teams, but groups of people who co-exist in some rough collective, muddling through.
Just look around, not far away, right in your midst.
One of the primary reasons there are so few Yin & Yang Teams is that those who manage and boss and dictate imagine they are the leaders too (but without practicing Leadership).
Have you seen a Yin & Yang symbol with only a Yang, or a Yin pretending to be a Yang too?
Yes, managers can be leaders, sometimes they must be leaders and not managers.
Non-managers do not need a title to lead. They choose to lead irrespective of their worker roles.
Leadership goes beyond the formality of roles and structures, and this is what an A-Team creates—a culture where Yin & Yang are recognised, cultivated and respected.
Leadership and management are better together—leaders change things for the better, while managers keep things going.
Regards,
Colin @ Karoo
We Activate Apex Skills!
Leadership Weekly Note: 2624.240624
e: colind@karoo.world
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