This post is a shoutout from a leader to a manager.
I love leadership – dreaming about what could be, challenging the status quo, and helping organizations move forward.
There’s a difference between leadership and management. I’ve written on it before.
Leaders lead change. Managers guide systems.
But here’s something I’ve learned through the years.
Good leadership without good management can take us somewhere wonderful, only to discover we don’t know how to stay there very long.
A leader can cast a compelling vision, rally people around it, and move an organization to new heights.
But someone has to build the systems, manage the details, and create the structure to sustain what’s been accomplished.
And frankly, that’s not always the leader’s greatest strength.
I’ve seen organizations grow beyond their ability to sustain the growth. Sometimes because the leadership vision outpaced the management systems.
Leadership helps us get there. Management helps us stay there.
We need both.
So here’s a shoutout to the great managers who often work behind the scenes, making sure the vision actually works.
You may not get the applause for the big idea or the bold new direction.
But without you, many of our greatest leadership accomplishments would be short-lived.
Leaders, don’t just appreciate good managers. Empower them. Listen to them. And give them room to do what they do best.
Your next great leadership success may depend on it.
