7 Essential Skills: Leaders vs. Administrators
The words “strategy” and “tactics” tend to conjure up thoughts of warfare, sports, or possibly even visions of an intense game of chess during The Queen’s Gambit. All these things have the common goal of winning or defeating the opponent. The terms were developed by Sun Tzu in the art of war, hence the thoughts of warfare. They are now used in many different situations, including leadership and management. There is a lot of information out there about what makes a good strategic leader and what makes a good tactical leader. Both are essential for a successful organization.
What are the differences when it comes to management styles? Is it better to be a strategic leader or a tactical leader? Is a tactical leader a leader or a manager? The truth is that one cannot exist without the other; there is equity in both. Finding the zone that maximizes the potential of both is key to a successful organization, and every organization needs both strategic and tactical leaders and managers. But those management skills don’t come naturally, they come with a lot of practice integrated with management training. Before we get into the training, let’s take a look at strategy and tactics, and how they play a role in leadership and management.
Strategic Leadership Vs. Tactical Leadership (Management)
Strategic leaders focus on long-term goals. Their work is determined by the big picture and how to stay on track to achieve those long-term goals. They look at the skills employees will need in the future, analyze the competition and see how what they do today will affect the future. A good strategic leader has a vision and a mission. They know where they want to go and what they need to do to get there. If we look at the general image of a leader in general, there are some features that stand out.
- passionate
Good leaders not only have a clear goal in mind, but can also inspire and motivate others to achieve that goal. - Emotional intelligence (EQ)
Great leaders have the ability to manage and understand their own emotions, setting the tone for the organization. By mastering EQ, they can also improve their skills in other leadership traits. - Empathetic
A strong EQ also enables great leaders to empathize with others and understand their needs, emotions and thoughts. - Strong communicator
They excel at active listening and can deliver their message effectively in a way that is understood as intended, whether it’s a challenging or positive communication. - Open-minded and creative
Great leaders recognize that there are multiple ways to achieve their goals and that their approach is not always the best. They are open to the opinions and thoughts of others, validate and integrate them to improve the organization and promote growth for their employees and team.
Tactical leaders or managers look at day-to-day goals rather than the big picture. They are more focused on the short-term, day-to-day activities that get the job done: project management, providing feedback and coaching, and organizing and leading meetings. They use a list and cross things off as they go. A good tactical manager can make sure things are done right so that the job gets done. There are also traits that stand out when looking at successful managers, some of which are similar.
- Collaborative
Effective managers work closely with their team members to ensure everyone performs at their best. They must be able to identify and address issues as they arise while setting the tone for their team. - Effective communicator
Managers need to bridge the gap between employees and upper management and need strong communication skills to work with their team. They should prioritize developing effective communication skills. - Trustworthy
Managers need to be trustworthy and accessible to their employees and team, ensuring they can count on them for guidance and support. - Strategic management
Managers must have a comprehensive understanding of their organization’s goals and values in order to create the right culture and work environment for their team.
What is the difference between leaders and managers?
You may notice the similarities between leaders and managers; there are also some significant differences. While a manager can be a great leader and a leader can be a great manager, not all managers are great leaders and vice versa. Let’s look at some of the differences that set them apart:
Leader
- Has a clear mission and vision
- Strives to distinguish itself through innovation
- Willing to take calculated risks
- Motivates and inspires others
- Considered a personality trait rather than just a job title
- Results are not always quantifiable or tangible
Manager
- Divides vision into achievable goals
- Follows or emulates established best practices
- Lower risk tolerance
- Daily working with teams
- Position viewed as a job title rather than a personality trait
- Impact is easily measurable
Developing rising stars and new managers
Did you see Ted Lasso? In case you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t yet experienced the wholesome sweetness of Ted Lasso, here’s a brief overview. The premise of the show is that Ted Lasso is a college football coach who is brought to England to coach a football team. He knows nothing about football, so he takes his friend, Coach Beard, on a trip. Hilarity ensues. But this is not a review of it Ted Lasso, so let’s go back to the importance of managers and leaders. Ted knows nothing about football. He is incapable of making many of the tactical decisions involving the team, but he has an overall vision and knows where he wants to go. Ted needs a great manager to help him execute on his vision. Before we look more at Ted, let’s look at some data to see why he wants someone with training. These stats are from Lorman show why manager training is essential for employee development programs:
- 59% of managers who manage 1-2 employees say they have had no training at all; 41% of managers who manage 3-5 employees say the same.
- Nearly 50% of managers with more than 10 years of experience claim that they have completed only about 9 hours of training in total.
- 43% of managers who have been in their position for less than a year say they have had no training.
Back to Ted and his story in England. In his new role, Ted will have to rely on his tactical manager for many of the day-to-day operations. He can let go of some of his traditional daily tasks and focus on the big picture. He has a long-term strategy of working with the team to make them better individually, not necessarily always in the football game, but as people. He helps grow relationships between the group and creates an overall team mentality. As a result, he puts together a team that can win and compete at the highest level. His vision of the future shows him where he wants to go and where he wants to go with his organization. He can also start developing a plan to get there. Ted is the strategic leader, the head coach. (Ironically, in England, a coach is called a manager). What are the skills he is looking for when choosing his assistant (manager)? According to Symonds research the following seven skills are essential for a successful business. Training in these areas is worthwhile to ensure an organization’s managers have the right skills.
7 essential skills and types of training topics for managers and supervisors
- Effective communication
The ability to communicate clearly and concisely is crucial to successful leadership and management. - Virtual and digital management
With more teams working remotely, great leaders need to excel at managing workforces virtually and digitally. - Conflict resolution
Leaders must be skilled at dealing with difficult people and resolving conflicts to maintain a positive and productive work environment. - Delegation
Effective delegation of tasks is critical to achieving goals and managing team resources. - Employee welfare
Leaders must prioritize the well-being and health of their employees, both physically and mentally. - Diversity and inclusion
Leaders must ensure that diversity and inclusion are at the heart of their human resource management practices, creating a welcoming and inclusive work environment. - Effective presentation
The ability to deliver compelling and impactful presentations is essential for effective communication and leadership.
Ted found someone who had mastered these skills: Coach Beard. Coach Beard knows football. He knows about formations and setups. He knows the tactical choices that need to be made for each game and can serve as an advisor to Ted, helping them hit the sweet spot as they build their strategic leadership and tactical management. Beard ticks off the items on the list, he can lead the team, deal with difficult people, present information to the team and delegate tasks. Ted has the strategy that provides Beard with the list. Individually they wouldn’t be successful, but it’s the ability to capitalize on both of their managerial strengths that make things work. The tactical and the strategic. Leadership and management.
A great tactical manager is essential to any organization, just as Coach Beard is essential to the success of Ted Lasso and his team. Not much is said about Coach Beard’s history; one can assume that he spent a lot of time learning the ins and outs of football. He most likely participated in a training program that fitted seamlessly into his day and prepared him for his role, to work with Ted and help manage the team. He mastered the seven essential skills mentioned above. It can also be assumed that this training program was excellent: Beard showed that he retained the knowledge he had learned during his training and it was valuable to both him and the organization when he put that training into practice. He begins to achieve his career goals while also serving the organization and contributing to their success and ability to achieve their organizational goals. An excellent leader and an excellent manager work together.
Excellent management leads to employee involvement, or, in the case of Ted and Coach Beard, player involvement. Employee engagement leads to profitability or wins. Manager performance accounts for at least 70% of employee engagement scores. The cost of investing in your managers and their growth will pay off as their employees grow and become more engaged. Take a look at the data below from companies with highly engaged employees. This data was collected from one Brian Rollo article on LinkedIn. Companies with highly engaged employees realize:
- 41% reduction in sick leave
- 17% productivity increase
- 28% reduction in shrink (the dollar amount of unexplained lost merchandise)
- 40% reduction in quality defects
- 70% reduction in employee safety incidents
- 10% increase in customer statistics
- 20% sales increase.
- 21% higher profitability