Leading and managing not same thing
''The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Whereas managing and leading are two different ways of organising people in a society, the two qualities are regarded as the benchmark in the corporate world. In regions where companies are not known to perform well, people tend to heap blame on the directors for hiring managers, who have no leadership skills to increase productivity and enhance quality service.
In Kenya only a handful of managers stand to be counted among those with leadership and management qualities that are now required to turn around businesses in the face of competition. The problem is not that Kenya has no competent people with the required skills to steer businesses but that such positions are reserved for relatives, friends or sycophants who can hardly turn around them in a competitive environment and prosperity.
Another issue, which is equally paramount, but is often overlooked in Kenya’s corporate organisations, is the tendency to appoint autocratic management staff that focus on dramatic, short-term results making it impossible to achieve true change. Often most people who head corporate organisations fear being edged out by the upcoming promising managers, who have potential, they can use to thwart their interest.
A look at some of the top corporate organisations in Kenya such as Homegrown, Unilever Tea, Mumias Sugar, East African Breweries, Bidco Oil, Bamburi, Aga Khan Hospital, Shell, Kenya Airways and Serena Group of Hotels, which were voted as the most respected companies in East Africa in 2005, reveals an insight into what makes most companies tick and why some are in perpetual trouble.
Not many companies in Kenya perform well despite vast untapped resources and opportunities. The problem is sheer lack of leadership skills in those given the mandate to manage companies.
A survey done in the United States of America shows that America’s executives put a premium on the ability of corporate leaders to communicate company policy and give direction with clarity and conviction and to energise and motivate managers and workers alike. It also shows that effective communication, both internal and external, with the will to inform, motivate, build trust and reassure are some of the best qualities which people need.
Management usually consists of people who are experienced in their fields and who have worked their way up the company. They know how each layer of the system works and also possess a good technical knowledge of the organisation.
According to management guru, the late Peter Drucker, most organisations are being managed too much and yet are least led enough, which brings to this question: Can all managers be leaders and all leaders’ managers?
Drucker says if someone thought that the two terms were the same and can be used interchangeably, here is food for thought— they are not!
He says the term “manager” refers to a person who “looks after” or manages people, material resources, logistics, etc. Management is fairly recent in origin, those who do it say it may or may not be a leader of men. Some managers are content to do their work without going out of their way while a manager who is a leader will be concerned about his team and this concern is what touches people/subordinates.
This is one reason which makes some companies tick while others don’t.
In his book Leadership Lessons from the Bush White House, author Donald Kettl discusses how President George W. Bush “makes sure that he listens” to his top advisors. The reason for doing this is to enable him “Get unfiltered information. It’s believed that top managers need all sorts of information, good and bad... especially bad ones to work effectively.”
This is why it is crucial to have a mechanism in place that insures a steady stream of information from all quarters. Yet in Kenya only a few managers do that. Managers that develop these qualities will create an environment where their team will willingly work as a team to fulfil the corporate goals.
Survival of corporate companies today unlike before is necessary in order to meet the basic goals of a company such as profit, customers, premises and excellent work.
The maintenance of the organisation is essentially a management function: measuring, looking back, assessing, taking stock and taking careful decisions.
Taking the organisation into areas of growth, change and development, to make the most of it, is what leadership is all about. This is why companies such as Kenya airways, Safaricom and Mumias Sugar Company that are often voted the best lead.
BY FELIx OWUOTH
(The writer is a director of Finedge consultants and lecturer at Kenya Institute of Management)
''The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Whereas managing and leading are two different ways of organising people in a society, the two qualities are regarded as the benchmark in the corporate world. In regions where companies are not known to perform well, people tend to heap blame on the directors for hiring managers, who have no leadership skills to increase productivity and enhance quality service.
In Kenya only a handful of managers stand to be counted among those with leadership and management qualities that are now required to turn around businesses in the face of competition. The problem is not that Kenya has no competent people with the required skills to steer businesses but that such positions are reserved for relatives, friends or sycophants who can hardly turn around them in a competitive environment and prosperity.
Another issue, which is equally paramount, but is often overlooked in Kenya’s corporate organisations, is the tendency to appoint autocratic management staff that focus on dramatic, short-term results making it impossible to achieve true change. Often most people who head corporate organisations fear being edged out by the upcoming promising managers, who have potential, they can use to thwart their interest.
A look at some of the top corporate organisations in Kenya such as Homegrown, Unilever Tea, Mumias Sugar, East African Breweries, Bidco Oil, Bamburi, Aga Khan Hospital, Shell, Kenya Airways and Serena Group of Hotels, which were voted as the most respected companies in East Africa in 2005, reveals an insight into what makes most companies tick and why some are in perpetual trouble.
Not many companies in Kenya perform well despite vast untapped resources and opportunities. The problem is sheer lack of leadership skills in those given the mandate to manage companies.
A survey done in the United States of America shows that America’s executives put a premium on the ability of corporate leaders to communicate company policy and give direction with clarity and conviction and to energise and motivate managers and workers alike. It also shows that effective communication, both internal and external, with the will to inform, motivate, build trust and reassure are some of the best qualities which people need.
Management usually consists of people who are experienced in their fields and who have worked their way up the company. They know how each layer of the system works and also possess a good technical knowledge of the organisation.
According to management guru, the late Peter Drucker, most organisations are being managed too much and yet are least led enough, which brings to this question: Can all managers be leaders and all leaders’ managers?
Drucker says if someone thought that the two terms were the same and can be used interchangeably, here is food for thought— they are not!
He says the term “manager” refers to a person who “looks after” or manages people, material resources, logistics, etc. Management is fairly recent in origin, those who do it say it may or may not be a leader of men. Some managers are content to do their work without going out of their way while a manager who is a leader will be concerned about his team and this concern is what touches people/subordinates.
This is one reason which makes some companies tick while others don’t.
In his book Leadership Lessons from the Bush White House, author Donald Kettl discusses how President George W. Bush “makes sure that he listens” to his top advisors. The reason for doing this is to enable him “Get unfiltered information. It’s believed that top managers need all sorts of information, good and bad... especially bad ones to work effectively.”
This is why it is crucial to have a mechanism in place that insures a steady stream of information from all quarters. Yet in Kenya only a few managers do that. Managers that develop these qualities will create an environment where their team will willingly work as a team to fulfil the corporate goals.
Survival of corporate companies today unlike before is necessary in order to meet the basic goals of a company such as profit, customers, premises and excellent work.
The maintenance of the organisation is essentially a management function: measuring, looking back, assessing, taking stock and taking careful decisions.
Taking the organisation into areas of growth, change and development, to make the most of it, is what leadership is all about. This is why companies such as Kenya airways, Safaricom and Mumias Sugar Company that are often voted the best lead.
BY FELIx OWUOTH
(The writer is a director of Finedge consultants and lecturer at Kenya Institute of Management)