Management and Leadership are two different things. The former has to do with things; the latter has to do with people.
Leadership is an intangible. It is a mental construct. Its existence can be ephemeral. It is high maintenance. Either it is there or it is not. There is no “almost” or “just a little” or “kinda like” leader.
Leadership cannot be created nor be maintained in the absence of personal sacrifice and effective communications on the part of the leader. And, those communications must be “broad band and full duplex.
”Harkening back to when I was first commissioned as Ensign in the Line of the U.S. Navy, I quote the late Rear Admiral Harley Cope. What he said has never left my consciousness. It set the tone for my understanding of what being a leader and exercising leadership really mean.
The Admiral wrote the following description of “character” for the July 1951 edition of The Naval Officers Manual, A Ready Reference to Helpful Information and Counsel for All Officers of the United States Navy and the Marine Corps:
“Assuming that there are three officers … each of whom respects, and is respected, by a group of men, what qualities will one possess that will inspire the men to look upon him as their leader? They will lean toward the one officer possessing the strongest character. By character is meant integrity, courage, morality, humility, and unswerving determination.”
“Character is a spiritual force. It is a reflection of a man’s grip upon himself, the degree to which he is able to dominate the baser instincts that beset us all.”
“Because men know that the conquest of one’s own weaknesses is a far, far, more difficult task than any other, they tend to believe that he who can conquer himself, can also conquer whatever problem is at hand. That is why, in civilian life, the masses look to a man of character to lead them.”
“Your first job, then, is to learn to know your own weaknesses and conquer them. Our fears are a key to our weakness, because we fear only the things which we feel we cannot do well. We all have fears. Force yourself to conquer and to face squarely every situation you are afraid to meet. It is not being afraid, but running away, that weakens character. When you have accomplished this, you will have developed character.”
The Admiral expressed, very well, what Leadership is.
Leadership is an intangible. It is a mental construct. Its existence can be ephemeral. It is high maintenance. Either it is there or it is not. There is no “almost” or “just a little” or “kinda like” leader.
Leadership cannot be created nor be maintained in the absence of personal sacrifice and effective communications on the part of the leader. And, those communications must be “broad band and full duplex.
”Harkening back to when I was first commissioned as Ensign in the Line of the U.S. Navy, I quote the late Rear Admiral Harley Cope. What he said has never left my consciousness. It set the tone for my understanding of what being a leader and exercising leadership really mean.
The Admiral wrote the following description of “character” for the July 1951 edition of The Naval Officers Manual, A Ready Reference to Helpful Information and Counsel for All Officers of the United States Navy and the Marine Corps:
“Assuming that there are three officers … each of whom respects, and is respected, by a group of men, what qualities will one possess that will inspire the men to look upon him as their leader? They will lean toward the one officer possessing the strongest character. By character is meant integrity, courage, morality, humility, and unswerving determination.”
“Character is a spiritual force. It is a reflection of a man’s grip upon himself, the degree to which he is able to dominate the baser instincts that beset us all.”
“Because men know that the conquest of one’s own weaknesses is a far, far, more difficult task than any other, they tend to believe that he who can conquer himself, can also conquer whatever problem is at hand. That is why, in civilian life, the masses look to a man of character to lead them.”
“Your first job, then, is to learn to know your own weaknesses and conquer them. Our fears are a key to our weakness, because we fear only the things which we feel we cannot do well. We all have fears. Force yourself to conquer and to face squarely every situation you are afraid to meet. It is not being afraid, but running away, that weakens character. When you have accomplished this, you will have developed character.”
The Admiral expressed, very well, what Leadership is.
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