Inc.com’s Boss School blog discusses a topic that seems like it might be a distinction without a difference – leadership vs. management.  However, I think the author hits a perfect chord right at the start:

Leadership isn’t the same thing as management. Leadership is about providing vision as to where the company is going. It’s about inspiring and motivating. It’s about instilling a certain amount of comfort that someone wiser than you is going to figure a way out of a mess.

I often think of managing as being somewhat akin to being a zookeeper.  You keep things in order and provide needed resources.  That’s not the greatest metaphor, but you get the idea.  Back to the blog post – here is the observation that caught me attention:

Don’t get me wrong. I think everyone wants a fearless leader. But I also think there’s a fine line between sounding positive and sounding delusional. You lose credibility. Done in the proper manner, an honest “negative” appraisal of a difficult situation can be positive if it leads to a good plan of action. It is an opportunity to show the staff that you are critical of yourself and take responsibility.

It is unnerving to work for a leader who seems out of touch with reality.  Leaders who refuse to address the realities of the situation are problematic.  They refuse to acknowledge the present realities which leads to a lack of corrective actions.  We’ve seen a handful of companies absolutely crater under this type of leadership.

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