Leadership vs Management and the 5 Key Qualities of Leadership - Newsletter & Video

If the past century of leadership study has taught us anything, it is that we will never have a universal agreement as to the nature or definition of leadership, nor the best approach to leading others. The answers are subjective; we cannot simply look at an exemplary leader and mimic everything they do and expect to have the exact same results.

We don’t have all the same skills and have not shared all the same experiences, so behaviors that work for one leader may not be in the toolbox of another. There remains a misconception that great leaders are innately charismatic because of our tendency to place charismatic leaders on a pedestal or a pulpit. Extroversion is sometimes assumed to be a quality of effective leaders, yet some of the most effective leaders I’ve known have been self-professed textbook introverts. There are some core qualities of leadership that I find indispensable regardless of style or approach, as well as some statements about leadership that must be shared before identifying qualities and how to develop them.

Leadership and Management are neither mutually inclusive nor mutually exclusive. We can oversimplify this statement with a four-quadrant visual representation with “leadership” and “management” on the x and y axis, respectively:

Quadrant 1 – “The Taskmaster” – low leadership, high management.

Classic archetype of the “boss,” this individual eschews leadership approaches in favor of direct management. This can still be effective in accomplishing repetitive, simple tasks where the inputs and outputs are clear and measurable. During the industrial revolution, factory assembly lines were often managed in this manner. Outputs per person per hour provided an idea as to the effectiveness of the employees, and the manager’s job was to maximize those outputs. Influence is derived from power and title and enforced through fear of reprisal and/or output based reward.

Quadrant 2 – “The Effective Leader” - high leadership, high management

This quadrant features those in positions of influence who elect to motivate those around them to achieve and surpass goals through their chosen leadership style. They have the ability to reward as well as performance manage, and want to create a culture and atmosphere of empowerment and psychological safety. They hold their team – and those in their orbit – to a high standard while making sure to hold themselves there as well.

Quadrant 3 – “The Individual Contributor” – low leadership, low management

Neither a part of the management structure nor a leader of others, this quadrant will not necessarily be known for its leadership or influence, but may be a perfectly competent subject matter expert contributor to the organization. It is important to note that the Individual Contributor may be low in management and leadership due to a lack of the requisite skill or an absence of the desire to lead or manage others. It is a mistake to try to force a strong individual contributor without a desire to lead others into management roles expecting them to create the same performance in others.

Quadrant 4 – “The Inspirer” - high leadership, low management

Despite lacking an official title or means of influence to get people to do things, the inspirer depends on influence that is not based on power to lead others. If you've been part of a group or a team without a formal leadership structure and someone on the team is unofficially elected to lead, this may be an example of an inspirer. Without having titles, power, or rewards to lean on, the inspirer relies on other leadership characteristics to succeed. So with that, here are my Top 5 key characteristics of great leaders:

1. Trustworthiness. This has been a common theme in each of my videos, because the base foundation of success should be rooted in honesty, ethics, and trust. It’s difficult to see someone who cannot be trusted by others as being someone who is qualified to lead. That does not mean dishonest individuals don’t have influence or don’t end up in positions of power, because we see plenty examples that they do. But ask yourself – if you know that you cannot trust somebody, how confident are you following them into a task, project, or crisis?
2. Emotional Intelligence. Empathy is one of core atoms of emotional intelligence. Leaders who empathize with others are often able to support the needs of their team better while also demonstrating social awareness and social management. They are more in tune with those around them, making them more adaptable and responsive to the needs of the team and the business. Empathetic leaders promote that key concept of “psychological safety,” where team members can be more productive, creative, and innovative due to the absence of fear of repercussion or perception. Leaders who are high in EQ are in position to execute one of our other characteristic, accountability, more effectively as well. Leaders who are low in EQ often create cultures of blame, bullying, etc.
3. Communication. Another theme in each of my videos thus far is the concept of communication in its four major forms – verbal, non-verbal, written, and listening. An effective leader must be able to explain tasks with clarity, convey importance, and receive feedback and updates. If you review case studies of organizational failures over the years, a lack of clear communication is often at least part, if not the main contributory factor, in said failure. In the outstanding leadership book “The Leadership Challenge” by James Kouzes and Barry Posner, the authors promote the importance of “listening to and promoting diverse perspectives.” They observed that groups that had been in tact the longest had a greater tendency to remain fixated on intra-group communication rather than inviting outsiders to share fresh perspectives. Those experienced but insulated groups were found to be less effective than their newer but more inclusive counterparts.
4. Accountability. First of all, accountability doesn’t automatically mean blame or punishment. Too often we conflate accountability with blame or even scapegoating, but accountability is much deeper than that. In fact, accountability more closely relates to our first characteristic, trustworthiness. Furthermore, there are two types of accountability: internal accountability (holding oneself accountable) and external accountability (holding others accountable.) Leaders who hold others accountable while never holding themselves accountable create a culture of blame and avoidance while eroding trust and respect. In a 2020 article in Harvard Business Review , Ron Carucci captures the essence of a culture of positive accountability with a simple four word phrase: "Make Dignity The Foundation." Cultures where mistakes are not the end of the world are more innovative. Many of the most innovative organizations in the world have a culture of “failing forward,” and focus on learning. Great leaders hold themselves accountable for their engagement and performance while also holding others to a high standard and looking out for their development.
5. Vision. It’s hard for a leader to be a leader if they don’t have a concept of the destination to which they will lead others. Leaders who are short on vision will struggle to inspire others as to the purpose of the efforts. Great leaders not only possess clear vision, but they are able to communicate and share that vision in such a way that provide their team direction and unite them towards the common goal. This also creates opportunities at situational leadership; not all leaders are permanent leaders, sometimes they take a lead role in a particular situation because they have a vision and expertise that make them a great choice to lead others.

Do you have different leadership characteristics you’d like to highlight? Agree or disagree with my list? Pop your thoughts in the comments and let us know! And as always, if you have any questions please ask them! Your question may be featured in a future video. In the meantime, thank you for spending time with me!

Chris Fitzpatrick (he/him/his) is a Human Resources Professional with 16+ years of experience in Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, and Diversity & Inclusion. Chris is proud to be the Sr. Manager, Talent Development at Crestron Electronics, an industry leader in the AV Industry with an amazing team around him. Chris speaks professionally, loves hosting game shows, and golfs (poorly) for charity.

Chris can be found on Facebook and Instagram at?@ChrisFitzpatrickSpeaks and coming soon to ChrisFitzpatrickSpeaks.com.

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