Managers focus on operations. Leaders focus on people. The distinction is important to understand in the context of a leader assuming a new role, particularly within an organization in which she may lack experience.

Management is the discipline of getting things done right. Leadership is the art of doing what is right in order to achieve intended goals. Managers with good leadership skills can succeed in new environments because they know how to surround themselves with people who know how to get things done right.

In the corporate world, we are witnessing two examples of outside leaders running businesses in which they had no previous hands-on experience; both are in the automotive industry. The first example is Alan Mulally, who became CEO of Ford Motor Company after a career at Boeing. Ford was in serious trouble when Mulally came aboard in September 2006. The company was in precarious financial shape, its product line was ragged, and morale was dispirited.

Although Mulally was new to the auto industry, he was not new to manufacturing. He was an accomplished manufacturing engineer with experience working on large projects, building teams and working with unions. Mulally knew the virtue of a single focus and with his team developed the One Ford plan. The going was not easy at first, but after three-and-a-half years, Ford is making money, new products are succeeding in the marketplace, and employees are feeling more confident. Ford is now considered one of America's most respected companies, in part because it took no federal dollars!

Across town, Ed Whitacre is serving as the CEO of General Motors. A retired telco executive, Whitacre is a tough, no nonsense guy. He has gutted GM's upper management and promoted middle managers to senior positions. Whitacre's challenge is to smash GM's clubby culture to get it moving in the right direction. To the federal government which appointed him, Whitacre is GM's last best hope for survival, and the executive who can help the company repay its federal debt. Time will tell if Whitacre can do for GM what Mulally has done for Ford.

An executive running an unfamiliar business will experience a learning curve, and in the process he may miss things; subtlety and nuance morph into gray that may hinder informed decision making. Only years of running the business will bring true discernment. But a savvy leader will be a quick study, and with the help of a good team of knowledgeable managers, will make the right choices to lead the business.

Good leaders know from experience what it takes to get a team to pull together for a common goal. They know how to sublimate their ego when necessary and delegate responsibility and authority to others. At the same time, they know when to crack the whip. And for leaders running businesses for which they are inexperienced, they surround themselves with experts who know it inside and out.

Such are the leaders who have what it takes to make a positive difference.

Adapted from piece first posted WashingtonPost.com/On Leadership 5.10.10

Just as companies seek to re-engineer the value propositions of their products, managers should consider doing the same. Companies do it by adjusting the features, benefits and pricing of their offerings; managers do it by re-evaluating the services they offer their employees.

For example, as companies are challenged to do more with less, either in terms of resources or headcount or both, many managers’ spans of control are expanding. Doing more is expected, but it is not always feasible; a manager with five direct reports cannot expect to manage them the same way if he picks up another five, ten or twenty employees. It is not simply a matter of spending less time with each; it is finding ways to maximize his value to them and to the organization. Three questions may help with the re-engineering process.

How can I continue to add value to my team? The answer comes from defining what you do now compared to what you need to next, or may already be doing. With more responsibilities, you need to find ways to delegate others some of what you do. You may also need to eliminate things, e.g., reports, meetings, and travel. You need to distill your new role to its essence and ration it to those who need it most. That is, you pull back from doing and spend more time advising.

What obstacles are holding me back from adding that value? Two big obstacles typically loom. Your boss and your people! You need to confer with your boss and gain agreement about your larger role, and especially how that may affect your relationship with her. There is after all, less of you. Your people need to be preparing to make more decisions and to assume new responsibilities. This is actually a good thing and should free you to be more strategic.

How can I sustain that value over time? The thinking you do to prepare and act now will be essential to the future of your team and your organization. With less of you, everyone gets the opportunity to step up and do more decision-making. For some this begins the leadership development process. For others, it could be a weeding out process, not necessarily from the company but from future leadership. Knowing the capabilities of your team is essential.

One factor that may help a manager seeking to determine his value is personal discipline.Paul Saginaw, the co-founder of the world-renowned community of food-related businesses known as Zingerman’s, once told me he learned to ration his time. As his company grew from a handful of employees to more than five hundred Paul focus his leadership messages where they would have the most effect.

One way Paul did it was to plan what he would say to people if he encountered them during the day. To one, he might talk window merchandise, to another it might be service improvements, and to another it might be business development. The act of planning helped Saginaw not only discipline his time, but also his thinking and his actions.

Re-thinking your value to the enterprise might be the best thing a manager can do in a recession. Return on the investment is critical in times of scarcity and also lays a foundation for times of plenty.


Posted FastCompany.com 5.25.10

Going against your boss's wishes is a risky proposition. It may seem bold and brave, but it can also be naïve and foolhardy. Leadership by nature is a choice; we chose to bring others together for common cause. Leading up is even more person because it may involve rubbing up against the people who sign your paycheck. Therefore you must decide for yourself what to do.

Be aware first and foremost that as an employee you are hired to do a job. Your employer has the right to expect your compliance as well as your commitment. Short of moral transgression, you do what you are told to do. But if you are going to lead up - that is influence action from the middle -- here is what you must consider:

What can I do? Consider what you can do. Sometimes you can oppose those above you without drawing ire. You do it with the strength of your business case. You let the facts speak for themselves; you are seen as a recommender of a course of action rather than an insubordinate employee.

Who will follow me? Leaders need followers so if you are pushing for change, consider who will go along with you. First and foremost you need the support of your senior leaders, if not all of them then most of them. If this is not possible, then you are likely fighting impossible odds.

What are the risks of my actions? Leading up when you are going against the direction of your senior leaders is risky proposition. Senior executives do not like to be challenged, especially by those they outrank. Therefore, you could get bounced. At the same time, your fortitude may impress more senior people and they may want to keep you around. That sad to say is more the stuff of novels than reality.

What you do next is up to you. Most managers never try and lead up. They are content to maintain the status quo. Nothing wrong with this, but understand that if a situation with a superior becomes intolerable to you, then you owe it to yourself and your colleagues, to act. You can seek to change the situation from within, or you can seek to work elsewhere. Moaning and groaning about what should be is a refusal to face reality.

Lest we be too hard on those who choose to abide by the status quo, it is good to recall a story that historian Stephen Ambrose tells in his memoir To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian about working with Dwight Eisenhower on his biography. Eisenhower warned Ambrose to avoid speculating on another person's motivations. Those were known, Eisenhower argued, only to the man himself. The one person whose motives you should know best is your own. So when it comes to leading up and effecting change from the middle, do what you think is best for you and your team.

First posted WashingtonPost.com/On Leadership 4.29.10

Not often do we see presidents come to visit subordinates but on the just concluded, long-running series, 24, it happens. President Allison Taylor went to see uber-agent Jack Bauer to tell him face to face that she wants to stop his investigation into a possible Russian-backed terrorist conspiracy in which Jack’s love interest was slain. A phone call would have sufficed, but President Taylor wanted to express her sympathy as well as her order for Jack to stand down.

It makes for good drama, but it is not all fiction. George H.W. Bush, as U.S. ambassador at the United Nations, was famous for dropping by personally to see fellow U.N. ambassadors.

Personally I know a manufacturing executive who insisted on holding staff meetings on the factory floor. His reasoning was two-fold: one, it was where the work was being done; two, he wanted his team to know conditions on the factory floor were like, in particular on hot summer days.

When a senior executive visits a subordinate in his or her place of work it sends a strong message. It demonstrates that the leader values the subordinate as a person. At the same time a leader’s time is valuable; she must ration it carefully so here are some suggestions for when to visit a subordinate.

To clear the air. People who work together have disagreements. While it often falls to subordinates to try and smooth things over, when the boss makes the first move and goes to the employee to do it, it conveys a sense of “we’re all in this together.”

To ensure clarity. Some issues require face to face interaction as a means of checking for understanding. The boss’s actual presence may encourage good dialogue that allows each party to ask questions. Many leaders also look for non‑verbal cues such as facial expressions and body language that indicate how the listener is receiving the information, either favorably or unfavorably.

To deliver bad news. No one ever likes to give bad news, so when a boss makes a point of going to the employee directly on his turf to give him unpleasant news about a project cancellation, a budget cut or a headcount reduction, it communicates that the cares about the people on his team.

To celebrate. Visits from the boss need not be reserved for tough times; good times are an occasion for celebration. When a boss visits the team at their workplace to congratulate them for a job well done, it’s a good thing. Employees remember it.

Let’s be honest there are bosses who make a habit of flying out of their offices and running down the hall to confront one of their direct reports. Their red faces and raised voices betray their indignation and what they suppose is their right to upbraid an underling in front of his peers. That is a tactic bullies use, not genuine leaders. Yes, you may lose your temper at something a subordinate does, but making the employee a whipping boy is not a sign of leadership; it is a sign of weakness, a lack of control.

Visiting with employees in their work space is a good habit that not only shows respect but also allows the leader the opportunity to get an up close and personal look at how the work is going. If a leader is dispensing praise, or even advice, it demonstrates to others that the boss is one who values people as people. The human touch is essential in establishing rapport and building trust.

Posted FastCompany.com 5.11.10

Leadership from below is a hallmark of military history. Battles have been won when those under the command of others rise up and take charge. Such are the lessons of military history, but translating them to the corporate or nonprofit workplace is not so easy.

First off direct reports are not taught to take charge; they are asked to follow direction. It is called management. And it works well, until crisis arrives. Then, as in the heat of battle, it falls to those with heart and conviction, and a desire to do something positive, takes over.

But you need not wait for a crisis to strike. Managers can make it known that they expect their employees to help in the leadership process. We see this all the time when senior colleagues are teamed with more junior ones to help them learn the ropes. That is a form of peer leadership.

But taking it step further, managers can encourage leadership from the ranks by delegating authority and responsibility. You start by letting people take the lead in projects, and you monitor the progress. You also make it known to peers that their colleague is the point person. He or she will be making decisions and be accountable for results.

It is one thing for a manager to invite direct reports to lead; that is a straightforward proposition. But asking a colleague to step forward without asking for direction from above can be risky. If you work for a bully boss, don't even try it because you could be fired. But if you have a boss who is open to ideas, or is clearly in need of help (and frankly what boss isn't?), then you can demonstrate initiative and offer to assume some responsibility.

You do this by working through your boss. You keep her in the loop about what you are doing and why you are doing it. Your ideas must complement the strategic direction of your firm. That is, you push initiatives that help customers, employees and stakeholders. You lead first and foremost with your ideas, backed by your gumption.

Leading from the middle is not an easy proposition but savvy managers can make it easier by making it safe for others to lead, and employees can take up the challenge, if and when they feel they must act for the benefit of the organization.

First posted WashingtonPost.com/On Leadership 4.22.10