Management vs. Leadership

Management vs. Leadership. Is there a difference? Managers focus on processes, leaders however take the special role of, well, leading. Leading people. Having a vision. Making the hard calls, and sticking through tough times.


In that vein, I came upon information this week on the Kaufmann Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is often referred to as one of the largest foundations in the United States—or as the world's largest foundation devoted to entrepreneurship. What strikes me as particularly relevant to our area is the idea of the Tug Boat leverage philosophy that comparatively small organizations like the Kaufmann have accomplished. According to the mission of this organization, which keeps the noted company of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is the idea of the small leading the many. Some of us work at massive organizations striding forth to remake the world, but many pull from a talented few people engaging with many, many others to make a difference together. You get the image of this giant ocean liner being pushed along by the seemingly tiny tugboat.

So where is your fit for this leadership mind set? I did a bit of searching to take a deeper look at this idea of Tug Boat Leadership and I came upon the writings of Geoffery Webb and his site called Leading on Purpose.

Webb has a few suggestions for us to consider on leading intentionally.

1. Small moves have big impacts. Unless absolutely needed, tugs don’t over-steer their vessels with dramatic movements. A little here and a little there is all it takes. Likewise leaders should be looking ahead, anticipating changes, and responding with strong, small moves to set their organizations on their best course. We see this in organizations with low attrition rates where they take the loss of an employee personally. Companies stay competitive when they take the time to retrain employees and keep that “Corporate Memory” in house and not lose it to another organization. Retraining and reinvesting in employees can go a long way to rebuilding the loss of loyalty that is so pandemic today.

2. There’s no autopilot. Many leaders seek to find a comfortable status quo, a place of rest where they can sit back and relax. There is no autopilot for a tugboat—or for a leader. Guiding an organization through ever-changing environments takes constant vigilance. The moment you think you’ve “figured it out” is the when you—and your organization—are most at risk. Your company or team needs constant tending, and keeping a strong focus on your mission is critical. Plunge head first into change and make it happen. Or as Winston Churchill said, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”

3. It’s not about you. Tugs know that they exist to serve a purpose. Their job is to safely move vessels weighing thousands of tons through challenging waterways. Ultimately, as a leader, it’s not about you either. It’s about moving your organization, your employees, your customers, your clients safely through the hazards around them. Now that is a “Gee Whiz” concept for many leaders who forget that the job is to help the team. The job is to grow the city, build the company, and never once take the credit. Think it is all about you do ya’? Well how affective will you be when you are the only one standing on the field in the uniform?

Take some time to think about how you are doing as a leader, or a manager, as these two roles are really hard to separate. And remember, take care of your customers or someone else will.