At times it can be hard to do things right, while simultaneously doing the right thing. I would disagree that good leaders can’t be good managers and good managers can’t be good leaders, as this statement would be a large generalization. Despite this, it is likely that being able to do both, is what sets apart good managers and leaders from mediocre ones. I had not thought much about the difference between manager and leaders before reading chapter fourteen of the textbook. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reference by Moran & Morner (2018), as well as the chart provided was helpful in separating the two in my mind.
Doing things by company policy or school policy is usually seen as doing things right, but not necessarily doing the right thing. This of course could be reversed as well, if one is going against policy they are likely not doing things right, but possibly doing the right thing.
I can think of three bosses/managers that I have had in my life time who do things right, while doing the right thing. When thinking about it now, this is probably how they managed to work their way up into these positions and stay in them. The leaders I am thinking of, knew what to do and when to do it, also they are well respected and popular among their employees. In chapter 14 it states that “An effective leader influences others to move in a desired direction and, thus determines the extent to which the organization and those who work there reach their goals” (Moran & Morner, 2018, p. 335). This statement is very true and the opposite can be said for an individual who is not an effective leader.
I found it interesting when Winston Churchill was used as an example of being a great leader for a particular set of circumstances in history (Moran & Morner, 2018). He was not the leader that was needed outside of wartime, but he was the perfect man for the job during wartime (Moran & Morner, 2018). With this in mind, there could be instances when managers just are not cut out for one particular job, but that does not mean they should be written off completely. I do think that individuals in positions of leadership need to self reflect and be self critical, so that they do not get too comfortable and continue to grow and develop into an even better leader. As a current teacher and future librarian, I plan to keep this in mind for myself as well, so that I too can be constantly growing and evolving in the best way possible.
References:
Moran, B. B., & Mormer, C. J. (2018) Library and information center management (9th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.
I love the idea that people are appropriate leaders or managers in certain situations. Not everyone is an awesome leader for every circumstance, which also kind of defies the sentiment of leaders doing the right thing and managers doing things right. The toxic leader especially struck me for this as well, and perhaps because a toxic leader may be well intended in the beginning but become too obsessed with power.
Do you think that one who is good at management or leadership should be assumed to be good at it all the time? Perhaps the situation should often be accounted for in this regard.
Great post!
I love your view that the ability to be both good at management and leadership is what sets the “good ones” apart from others and is also what helped them get into a position of leadership/management. I also agree that being that good at both makes them both respected and popular. But then I question, while a manager certainly should be respected, would popular be a quality I would want when considering a person to be a manager? Of course, we want to be both but the line gets hard to maintain if a manager decides to disregard policy to do what they think is right. As Moran & Morner stated, conflict resolution is often a job of managers, and “decisions based on insight or intuition are almost impossible to defend” (2017, p. 14). I think doing the right thing versus doing it right can often have a blurry line.
References:
Moran, B. B., Morner, C. J. (2017). Library and information center management (9th ed.). ABC-CLIO.
I enjoyed reading about your opinion on how good managers and good leaders need to share some of the other’s skillset in order to transcend in their fields. Leaders who are unable to explain the steps necessary to achieve their vision will end up falling short on their goals. While managers who are unable to motivate their team to buy in to their plans will not be able to achieve their goals.
I also enjoyed your part about Winston Churchill being the right leader at the right time. A lot of success comes from being have a particular opportunity at an opportune time. Just take all of Winston Churchill’s failures during World War I when he was First Lord of the Admiralty. The lessons he learned from those failures helped him be a better leader for the UK during World War II. Finding the right situation for people to be effective in leadership roles is crucial for success.
Hello Jessica,
I enjoyed how you combined references from history with your personal experiences in your blog post.
Self-evaluation is a critical part of any type of manager or leadership role. It can be challenging to be honest about our shortcomings, especially when having flaws is so frowned upon. I wonder how we could encourage more self-evaluation in the librarian culture? Perhaps through workshops or cohorts of professionals?
Lastly, a mentor once told me that when you stop trying to better yourself or learn new things, it’s time to retire. Since the inception of that wisdom, I have often looked at people in positions of power and seen a common theme- those who are willing to embrace change and feedback are more successful than those who choose to maintain the status quo. Thank you for an excellent post!
Moran, B. B., & Mormer, C. J. (2018) Library and information center management (9th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.