I asked Emanio CEO KG Charles-Harris what he thought of ‘leadager’ as a new word that meant both leader and manager.

KG: I believe the terms are so different that it’s difficult to put them together.

me: Yes, but I’m referring to the best. I think that if you lead without managing you end up with chaos.

If you manage without leading you codify the status quo.

KG: I agree. But management is a discipline, whereas leadership is more difficult to quantify and teach.

me: True, you DO leadership, public opinion recognizes you as a leader and the leadership industry gives you the language to talk about what you did.

KG: I’m not sure what the leadership industry is. Much of it is smoke and mirrors, but not all. I think leadership is best described as influence directed to accomplish goals, either explicitly or implicitly so. Good managers have processes and techniques that he implements to get people to work. Leaders inspire.

me: Yes, but I still think that great managers inspire and great leaders manage⿿emphasis on great.

KG: Leadership is not necessarily good. Hitler was a good leader but a terrible manager. He had very good managers under him, though.

me: True, and I should have said “should” instead of presenting it as a given. In today’s world, especially in business, many of those in positions of power are afraid to have people in place that might challenge them or show them up. As a result, each level of management often gets weaker as it goes down the ladder.

Fostering leadership is yet more difficult, since inspiring means taking chances and requires a culture that doesn’t just tolerate stumbles and failures, but actually encourages them. Without that safety people won’t take chances with a vision but will stick to the status quo.

Be sure to join me tomorrow for part 2.

Do you think that managers should have vision and leaders should have management skills?

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