Leadership and management skills are often combined in the character of small business owners, but those aspects of a show-runner may need to be utilized at different times according to one business expert.
Leadership vs. management
Marc Compeau, director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Clarkson University and a Forbes magazine contributor, recently noted in an article that while being a leader typically requires a business owner to be an effective manager as well, those faced with major challenges within their organizations should pinpoint the needs of the situation before engaging in a specific manner towards employees.
Leadership is most noticeable in a business owner or manager’s clarity when communicating with employees, Compeau wrote for Forbes. His advice can serve as financial investment advice if business owners are considering leadership training for themselves or workers.
Compeau noted that leadership is the trait business owners should lean to in times of turmoil, whereas the act of manager is more appropriate when business is going along smoothly.
Leadership in motion
In businesses as active as professional football, stability within a franchise is so rare it is almost always the time for effective leadership over management, based on Compeau’s definition of the words. Yahoo Finance suggests this year’s Superbowl coaches, brothers John and Jim Harbaugh (of the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, respectively) should serve as prime examples of excellent leadership.
The source reports that the coaches’ father, Jack Harbaugh, embedded his mantra, “Attack this day with enthusiasm unknown to mankind,” into his children growing up. The two took it to heart from early ages, Yahoo claims, as they were frequently getting into trouble due to high levels of enthusiasm as they played with their classmates during recess.
Yahoo notes the elder Harbaugh, in his excellent leadership skills, did not just lead his sons to success but made them leaders all their own. The brothers’ dual Superbowl appearance this month ended with, of course, victory for one and a defeat for the other, and this week has reflected similar passions through two different outcomes between the coaches.
Jim Harbaugh expressed a hard loss following the 49ers’ win on Superbowl Sunday, reports the NFL’s Around the League, touching on his dispute over several alleged missed calls by game officials that led to his team’s loss. The brothers continue to have a mutual respect for each other, according to the source, and regardless of the championship’s outcome, the winning sibling still credits his younger brother as the most able leader in the organization.