Leadership and management aren't the same thing. Have you ever heard that before?
The hard truth is that most so-called leaders are merely taskmasters, going through the daily grind. Indeed, too many leaders spend most of their time putting out fires, running reports, or dealing with petty nonsense. Sadly, playing the blame game, pointing fingers, and avoiding responsibility have become the norm. Protecting one's own departmental kingdom is the top priority – thus creating and maintaining what is known as the silo effect.
That's no way to run an organization. These are just some of the reasons why your organization may not be reaching its goals, why your management meetings are complaint-filled wastes of time, and why morale at your company is so low that attempting to measure it would be futile. Many of our leaders are so caught up in busy work that there is little time left for the most important duties of leaders: Coaching, strategizing and creating.
The marketplace is in need of a massive transformation in leadership. In short, we need to move toward a more strategic, thoughtful and visionary style.
In today's ultra-competitive marketplace, organizations need more than taskmasters and report runners. It's simply not enough to be just good. It's not even enough to be great.
To rise to the top, to distinguish yourself, to propel yourself and your organization to heights never before imagined, you need to be more. You must get past Leadership 101. Your organization's leaders need to be more than that. They need to be able to tap into the potential they have. It's time to separate the taskmasters from the true leaders.
Organizations should be investing in a leadership development program. But it seems as if "it's not the right time," "we have a lot on our plate," "the budget isn't there," – the excuses go on and on. And organization gets worse and worse.
What could possibly be more important than ensuring that your company has a top-notch leadership team? The most effective leaders in the history of the world put assembling the best leadership team at the TOP of its list of priorities. Credit unions need to do the same.
Or you can keep doing what you've been doing. The choice is yours.
Sean McDonald is the president of Your Full Potential, LLC and the founder of ABSURD! Leadership. He can be reached at 201-920-9328 or [email protected].
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