Good Management is More Important than Leadership

“Management is, above all, a practice where art, science, and craft meet.” Henry Mintzberg

Listen — — —

Shhhhhhh — — — Listen closely — — — — what you’re hearing is that voice in your head telling you that the title line of this article is entirely wrong.

There is a very good reason for making such a radical statement.

At every turn, the media is full of messages telling you that leadership coaching is the most important thing for your business to succeed. It is the new wave of raising the bar on performance. Then why are there so many problems that cannot be solved?

Respectfully, I differ from each of them.

Not to say they’re all wrong; they’re just not all right.

Early in my career and at times since then, I’ve had the benefit of mentors and several experiential management development programs.

Throughout my career as an executive, consultant, advisor, educator, and member of a Board of Directors, what has stayed true and been the main ingredient for a business to grow, be profitable, and succeed, is good management skills and practices.

Even the best leaders cannot deliver results without good management skills or, at the very least, knowing how to recognize them.

Forbes and CEO Magazine report that this is a key factor with managers and executives, considered to be strong leaders, who rarely make it past 18–24 months in a new company or role.

The Corporate Executive Board estimates that 50–70% of executives fail within 18 months of taking on a role, regardless of whether they are an external hire or promoted from within.

During more than 35 years of taking on management roles, what I know to be true is that leadership is a character trait rather than a skill.

Managing and leading are not synonymous terms — they mean different things.

They are often conflated, which only confuses matters. Management skills can be learned. Leadership, not so much.

Leadership is a trait developed from personal character and behaviours; it cannot be learned by simply taking a course.

There is a distinct difference between good management and leadership, some of which are outlined below.

Cskills and Traits — 2022 — Uvidi Management Group

* Found to be most in demand and rare to find.

By looking at this list, which has been composed of various publications and academic sources, what becomes evident is that the more senior the manager’s role, the more it is expected that leadership qualities shine through.

That is not to say that skills are no longer relevant; they are! Not only for managers but for executives as well if they are to transform organizations for a new reality beyond 2022.

What is missing in the literature is what the research by Fortune, Navalent and McKinsey reveals.

A summary of findings includes:

• Management development processes are ineffective.
• Coaching is not delivering results due to sub-par engagement.
• Onboarding processes don’t identify that managers are not ready for the next level position.

I’ve seen executives come and go.

My top reasons for failure can be summed up in 5 points:

1. Inability to think critically — unable to manage the cycle of repeating problems.
2. Difficulty adapting to new pressures and expectations.
3. Lack the cultural awareness to integrate effectively at their new level.
4. Fail to deliver change programs — not listening and learning but making unilateral decisions.
5. They appear to have hit a level of ‘incompetence’ — repeating avoidable mistakes & perpetuating problems.

You will notice the number of reasons for failure on the ‘good management skills’ side of the chart above.

These are skills that can be learned and will make leaders more effective.

Organizations can stop contributing to turnover statistics by planning for learning and development programs.

Good management and leadership are like ‘hand in glove’.

Good managers are expected to have some leadership qualities to thrive.

Good leaders must have good management skills to succeed.

A manager is a guide. He takes a group of people and says, ‘With you, I can make us a success; I can show you the way.’ Arsene Wenger

You can learn a lot about good management by working under someone who is a bad manager. Charles Murray

There are three essentials to leadership: humility, clarity, and courage. Fuchan Yuan

In the next article in the ‘Management’ series, we’ll discuss the relevance of critical thinking.

Uvidi Management Group has been developing learning and professional development programs since 1994. To get more information on how you can grow your capabilities and your business, contact me directly Dragica@uvidi.ca