Trick question… You need to do both.
A key influencer during change are the leaders within the organization. Strong leadership capabilities are critical to both manage and lead the change by crafting the vision and partnering together to create new ways of operating. John Kotter, leading change expert and Harvard Business School Professor, defines these the different between management and leadership skills in his Leading Change (1990) book.
- Management Activities / Skills
- Planning & Budgeting
- Organizing & Staffing
- Leadership Activities / Skills
- Establishing Future Direction
- Aligning People
- Motivating & Inspiring
During change, leaders should be spending approximately 70 – 90% leading and 10 – 30% on managing. However, what Kotter found was leaders were spending the majority of their time on “managing” which was supported by corporate cultures.
