It is important to pay attention to both the short AND longer term
In my work over the years I noted that a lot of companies, people and organisations use the words management and leadership interchangeably. However, as pointed out by several big thinkers and opinion makers like e.g. John P Kotter, there is a distinct difference between them. In our day to day work with our clients we clearly see these differences. However, you clearly need both to be successful in the short and longer term.
Difference between Management and Leadership
The biggest difference as we see it is that management focuses on the short term, whereas leadership focuses more on the longer term. Crucial question for a lot of people: what do we need most? As with all important issues in life, it is important to have the right balance! A company or organisation needs the correct balance between management and leadership. Some periods more emphasis is needed on the short term (=management), other periods the emphasis is more on the longer term (=leadership). Instead of a balance of both we often see one or the other.
An effective mix of management and leadership is required
On a global scale we have had a strong emphasis on management for a long time. However, currently there is a clear shift towards a desire for strong and authentic leadership. In our thinking it is not one or the other: it is all about having an effective mix of management and leadership! This means for the individual person in a leading position the she/he needs to reflect whether both elements are covered well enough and to understand/recognise which situation requires which approach. This thinking is reflected in our consulting, training, coaching and facilitation.
Needless to say that we at Con-TACT use this mindset on management and leadership in our training and coaching. If you want to discuss this subject further get in touch with me direct or check our Virtual Leaders Lounge agenda.
Join us online! 
We explore this and other business relevant subjects in our Virtual Leaders Lounge. This is an informal online meeting of maximum 10 business leaders where we discuss challenges in virtual teams and organisations and share best practices. No PowerPoint is used, no prep work required!
Check it out here or register direct so you get the invitations and have a chance to get one of the 10 seats available for a lounge session.
