Leadership vs. Supervision As reprinted from http://MetaOpsMagazine.com
LIVONIA, Mich., June 13, 2013 — Making leaders, not rulers
Every manager maintains a balance of supervisory and leadership skills. This balance is impacted by the personality of the manager and the situation in which they are operating. These skill sets complement each other in a healthy work environment, but are in conflict in an unhealthy one.
Leadership and supervision are concepts best defined by the source of their authority to act, or their power source. A supervisor gets his or her authority, or power, from the position power provided by the organization. This is a top-down flow of power. Supervisors manage from a command-and-control paradigm that is rooted in the ongoing inspection of performance.
Conversely, leaders get their power from those who are willing to follow. This power can flow from anywhere and anyone. Leaders manage from a facilitator perspective that is rooted in the expectation of performance.
Building on this, there are formal and informal power structures within any organized group of people. Formal power is typically based upon command and control (supervision). Informal power is typically rooted in leadership. These two power structures co-exist within the ebb and flow of people and their perceptions. Sometimes the same person or group of persons wield both types of power at the same time. This typically leads to a workspace with low stress and high productivity. When this is not the case, the formal and informal power “centers of gravity” are found in different persons and tension is created between the two.
In successful military systems, the authority and power structure is very organized and centralized. Conformity is both demanded and enforced, and there is a great need for authority figures to be both a supervisor and a leader. This is why military officer training programs emphasize leadership skills. The tension that results from different formal and informal power centers, within a military group, can be fatal.
On the other hand, look at the typical athletic team. Here, the formal and informal power foci are found in different people. The coach, for example, wields the formal power and a player—functioning as team captain—may wield the informal power. This works because the coach is not out on the field of play as a participant. The team needs a leader “in the game” to carry out the strategy.
Now, how do these power structures apply in the typical workplace? First, the relationship between leadership and supervision is situational and the balance between the two is dynamic. It is usual and normal to find both the formal and informal power being wielded by a single person in one situation and wielded by different persons in the next. In a healthy workplace, there is a high level of trust and cooperation between formal and informal power, which results in a high level of delegated empowerment. In the healthy workplace, productivity is typically high while conflict is minimized.
In an unhealthy workplace, trust is weak or absent. The relationship between the formal and informal power structure is based in conflict. Productivity is typically low and conflict replaces empowerment.
In order to be a truly motivating, inspiring and effective leader, develop and nurture the qualities that are found in good leaders. You must be a good listener who is also capable of motivating his or her team. Knowing your employees’ names is essential for respect given and received. Additionally, credit must be given and received where it is due. Following these guidelines will help you develop into a team leader who is both trusted and deemed trustworthy, and that’s the true mark of leadership.
Walter McIntyre has spent 30 years in the business world, holding positions from apprentice to Vice President. Throughout that time he has worked in both the manufacturing and transactional sides of business operation. He is currently the Chief Operations Officer and General Manager of Nationwide Parts Distributors in Jacksonville, Florida.
Walt earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Greenville College, Greenville, Illinois. He earned a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of South Florida in Tampa. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Master Black Belt and Master Trainer.
Walt’s motto is, “Have fun learning, have fun doing, have fun sharing.” He can be found on Twitter @waltmcintyre, at his website: leanmeanprocessimprovement.com, or by email at walt.m@att.net.
Walt McIntyre, COO and general manager of Nationwide Parts Distributors in Jacksonville, Florida, presented an analysis of supervision, power and how to turn “rulers” into true leaders in an article published in MetaOps MagEzine, http://metaopsmagazine.com.
About Walt McIntyre:
McIntyre has spent 30 years in the business world, holding positions from apprentice to Vice President. Throughout that time he has worked in both the manufacturing and transactional sides of business operation. McIntyre earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Greenville College, Greenville, Illinois, and a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of South Florida in Tampa. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Master Black Belt and Master Trainer.
About MetaOps, Inc.:
MetaOps, Inc. helps companies increase their market share and profit through a PeopleCentrix™ approach. The company’s team of world-class experts brings an extensive toolkit that helps management see problems and opportunities while teaching staff how to make dramatic improvements and drive sustainable improvement. Learn how to transform your own organization, boosting efficiency and increasing market share, by visiting MetaOps, Inc. on the web.
