You’ve done a great job attracting others to support your cause, but how will you sustain the momentum and keep them inspired? Not by your management culture, but your leadership culture!
Organizational Culture is Key
Do a search for “best business schools” and you’ll get more than 12,000 hits. You’ll also find that independent polls rate MBA programs and those on top vary little over time.
- Why?
Great institutions provide more than just and environment that yields a quality product. They present a culture that sustains the spirit and attitude that perpetuates a history of success.
Consequently,
- Corporate America has confidence in the top-notch programs
- Graduates from these institutions command the best salaries
- Students continue to seek enrollment at these schools
The Management vs. Leadership Debate
In, “Why Great Managers Are So Rare,” Gallup researchers conclude:
Performance metrics fluctuate widely and unnecessarily in most companies, in no small part from the lack of consistency in how people are managed.
This difference in terminology is central to why U.S. Army’s leadership development programs are so successful.
Which would rather say about your boss:
- I’m managed by Jane
- I’m led by Jane
I don’t know anyone who wants to be managed or “dealt with.”
- You don’t manage people; You manage tasks, events, and schedules
- You deal with people; You deal a deck of cards.
Semantics to some, but you lead people by helping them grow and become contributing members of the team. Most people will follow, if only you will lead them.
When (leadership) is taught, it’s not taught well. Most MBA programs don’t teach leadership.
They call it leadership, but they teach management.
— Simon Sinek
Developing Your Leadership Culture
While the top MBA programs prepare managers for executive leadership positions, the military is known for bottom-up leadership development, especially true when it comes to its junior members.
The military’s ability to produce leaders capable of performing in any industry is well-known. Recruiting firms exploit this knowledge and actively seek Junior Military Officers for Corporate America.
Just as Corporate America has great confidence in certain MBA programs, they, Gallup, and other polling institutions continue to reflect the greatest confidence in military leaders.
Why Leadership beats Management
Employee engagement is when business values the employee and the employee values the business.
— McLeod & Clarke
Everyone recognizes that the best teams are those whose members are fully participating, what Gallup calls employee engagement.
But it takes leaders, not managers to inspire others. Your business success is directly related to your leadership.
Create an environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and you’ll develop a leadership culture that brings the best out of your people.
You are a product of your environment.
So choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective.
— W. Clement Stone
For a look inside the military leadership culture, Download a free preview of Unleash Your Values, or click the image to buy now.
