Measured value of management

Leadership, nature or nurture. Part 3

Management is the creation of conditions through which employees can (continue to) use their qualities optimaly in order to achieve the desired results.

The way the manager shapes his corebusiness says something about his managementstyle (and underlying leadership qualities).

There is a common core, possibly a different perspective. The leader puts the dot on the horizon, determines the vision, the strategy, indicates what are the right things to do, possibly provides the framework, sets the goals and KPIs. The manager has more the role of operational control, making sure things are done in the right way. In an ideal situation there is interaction and mutual influence/coordination.

More and more organizations work with the most ‘flat’ organizational structures as possible where tasks, responsibilities and powers are assigned as low as possible. They work with self-organising or self-managing teams. From the point of view of shared leadership: the interactive influencing process leading to a common goal with shared responsibility/roles.

Examine for yourself what current insights you can find in the literature and your own environment:

  • What do you think works and what doesn’t (and why?).
  • What would make you feel comfortable?
  • What suits your preferred style (leadership style and personality traits)?