Transformational Leadership
Dan Krishman
Transformational Leadership
November 12, 2014
What Leaders Really Do
The concept of ying and yang has been a running theme throughout the Transformational Leadership course. Nowhere has it been more applicable than to the HBR case study, “What Leaders Really Do”. The article discuss the importance of balance within an organization between management and leadership. Both have to exist in compliment of each other in order for an organization to thrive in a competitive environment. Management functions are to plan, organize, execute, and report in an systematic way. It takes a defined company direction and formulates the systems necessary to achieve goals step-by-step. Leadership, on the other hand, functions to “produce change” …show more content…
Management, n.d.). This is a powerful statement that has significant implications to the purpose of each. Every aspect of a business can be broken down in terms of a leadership vs. management approach. For example, what does each one seek? A leader seeks a vision for his followers. He seeks a purpose for the existence of his organization---“What value does my company bring and to whom?” A manager seeks objectives to accomplish, specific measurable goals that have a defined beginning and end. How does each define results? The leader looks at achievements as milestones, while a manager uses results as a marker of progress. Leaders seek to push the boundaries of the organization. They are willing to break the rules, create productive conflict, and take risks on new ideas for the purpose of unearthing new potential or value for stakeholders. Managers function within the boundaries of the organization. They create policies to be followed and follow them. Captain Kirk leads the Starship Enterprise to go where no man has gone before, while Data computes Kirk’s decisions and the process necessary to make them …show more content…
Can management exist without leadership and vice versa? The reality is that leadership is more essential than management. To survive and thrive a company must continuously reinvent itself. Inherently, management is not equipped to develop vision. It does a great job of creating order out of chaos, but it takes leadership to prepare a company to reinvent itself. “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist” (Singer, 1995). Leaders must readily be able to see the organization as it truly is. That means an external point of reference is critical. Though they are company insiders, they should think as outsiders. This is the only way to spot problems that are not clearly visible. Only when the gaps are visible can a vision come about. The next hurdle is to convince managers and employees that there is a problem which is not evident and that solving it is a pressing matter. Only then can they energize the company to act in a manner different than it has in the
Transformational Leadership
November 12, 2014
What Leaders Really Do
The concept of ying and yang has been a running theme throughout the Transformational Leadership course. Nowhere has it been more applicable than to the HBR case study, “What Leaders Really Do”. The article discuss the importance of balance within an organization between management and leadership. Both have to exist in compliment of each other in order for an organization to thrive in a competitive environment. Management functions are to plan, organize, execute, and report in an systematic way. It takes a defined company direction and formulates the systems necessary to achieve goals step-by-step. Leadership, on the other hand, functions to “produce change” …show more content…
Management, n.d.). This is a powerful statement that has significant implications to the purpose of each. Every aspect of a business can be broken down in terms of a leadership vs. management approach. For example, what does each one seek? A leader seeks a vision for his followers. He seeks a purpose for the existence of his organization---“What value does my company bring and to whom?” A manager seeks objectives to accomplish, specific measurable goals that have a defined beginning and end. How does each define results? The leader looks at achievements as milestones, while a manager uses results as a marker of progress. Leaders seek to push the boundaries of the organization. They are willing to break the rules, create productive conflict, and take risks on new ideas for the purpose of unearthing new potential or value for stakeholders. Managers function within the boundaries of the organization. They create policies to be followed and follow them. Captain Kirk leads the Starship Enterprise to go where no man has gone before, while Data computes Kirk’s decisions and the process necessary to make them …show more content…
Can management exist without leadership and vice versa? The reality is that leadership is more essential than management. To survive and thrive a company must continuously reinvent itself. Inherently, management is not equipped to develop vision. It does a great job of creating order out of chaos, but it takes leadership to prepare a company to reinvent itself. “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist” (Singer, 1995). Leaders must readily be able to see the organization as it truly is. That means an external point of reference is critical. Though they are company insiders, they should think as outsiders. This is the only way to spot problems that are not clearly visible. Only when the gaps are visible can a vision come about. The next hurdle is to convince managers and employees that there is a problem which is not evident and that solving it is a pressing matter. Only then can they energize the company to act in a manner different than it has in the