Is Leadership a Soft Skill? Really?
Recently, I read an article in an online business journal entitled, “Is Leadership a Soft Skill?” which led me into asking myself the same question. In B-School we are drilled about the hard skills of marketing strategy, analysis of financial statements, financial modeling, and even strategic management; however, not much about leadership.
Better yet, the terms leadership and management are used interchangeably. I know…I know…Some of you guys are saying right now, “This idiotic newbie! I am a manager; therefore, I am a leader!” Wrong! These terms are not mutually exclusive. I believe that without the vital presence of leadership the hard skills that we as professionals possess will be ineffective in producing value for our organizations (which is exactly why they hire any of us!), inspiring our teams to accomplish difficult objectives, or creating avenues for our own career progression.
During ten years in the United States Army as a people manager I have realized through observation, experience, and teachable moments that the distinction between ineffective management and effective leadership is simple. This distinction is found in productivity, which is the metric that defines our professional success. Managers are utilized by organizations as the primary drivers of people, and the impetus for productivity.
The main focus of all levels of management is to monitor work, reduce problems that slow down work, and make work happen faster. Good, right? I would give an emphatic YES! But…Leadership charts a different course. The goal of the effective leadership is not to motivate or simply drive staff or teams to meet metrics, but rather the leader inspires subordinates to produce work beyond the required objectives.
Some of you may still be saying, “This guy is using some circular logic here!”, but this article is meant to serve as a discussion point, and an opportunity to share about my understanding of the leadership dynamic. For, the next five weeks I will share my philosophy on leadership and how it is the “hard skill” that serves as a Launchpad for our technical skills. Next week: look out for The 10 Leadership Skills You Gotta Develop NOW!
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Circular? Apologize for the nitpicking...couldn't resist. Which leads me to my first point: a good mark of a leader is one who strives not to nitpick, but rather encourages people's strengths to overcome their weaknesses. I believe leadership is most definitely a learnable skill. At the same time, many people are born leaders, in the sense that a person's personality can and does predispose them to higher leadership potential. By the same token, many people's personalities do not predispose them to a natural leadership potential. Some people are introverts and are content with not leading their entire careers. That does not make them a bad worker or person by any means. Indeed, they can be the some of the most productive workers because they allow the leaders to lead and don't try to outdo said leader. Some people who recognize they lack a "leadership personality" end up becoming great leaders, I believe, because they persevere to learn the skills. Yet possibly the best leaders are the ones who are always learning new and/or better ways to lead, and who are also born with a natural leadership talent, and who are willing to change course when they find a leadership tactic is not working in a certain situation. I recommend any book by John Maxwell, who has taught many non-leaders to find their leadership potential and exploit it, as well teaching people who may not recognize the value of learning leadership skills how they can learn such skills that compliment their personalities. Thus, it seems that for different personality types, there are different leadership styles, all of which can be honed and improved.
Interesting read, thanks MoobyMoo & WreckEmFinance. Which book of John Maxwell in particular would you recommend reading ? I don't think that i'm the kind of person who has an innate leadership skill.
No worries Squale! You most likely do have undiscovered leadership potential. One John Maxwell book I've read is "Developing the Leader Within You". Another quintessential read, and a classic, though not by John Maxwell, is "How to Win Friends and Influence People", by Dale Carnegie. It's probably one of the most important books ever written on developing leadership skills, and one of the very first (1936). It's longevity in firm improvement circles has proven it's worth as a timeless classic. Maxwell's site is www.johnmaxwell.com and he has written many leadership books, especially from a firm/organization standpoint.
thanks again ! I already read How to win friends and Influence People. I agree that it's such a good book, almost a must read for someone who will have to work with people all days long (almost every jobs now). I'll have a look at Maxwell's website and maybe order one of his book.
Thank you for clarifying that yes there very much is a difference between leadership and management and both can drive very different outcomes. I couldn't agree more! I must however respond to thereader's implication that those that are more reserved and quiet are somehow less suited for leadership roles. I could not disagree more. Everyone in business has a natural leadership style that can be successful if they so chose. The focus shouldn't be on whether or not someone has the potential to lead but whether or not their leadership style is best suited for the environment and goals of the organization. I look forward to reading your blogs in the coming weeks.
This was a great post. I agree that there is a big difference between management and leadership. One maintains and the other produces as you said. My goal as a leader is to influence those who follow me to become good leaders and produce after their own kind. I was a manager for many years before I understood the principles of good, solid, and successful leadership. I'm glad I'm learning some great principles.
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