Leadership Styles

February 12th, 2009 at 04:08pm Bob Trojan

Early in my career, I learned that Leadership, Management and Individual Contributor were different styles found in the workplace.  My favorite guru was none other than Peter Drucker who set many of the management principals years ago.

Some people were very smart, intellectual, or great speakers.   They were very good at working alone and on projects.  They also should not be placed in positions where leadership was required.  They were what were termed “Individual Contributors”

Management on the other hand, called for interpersonal skills, negotiating, and yes, some smarts.  They were the ones to follow someone else’s rules or methods and efficiency was their main thrust.

The term Leadership came around and these were the people that “made things happen” by force of their ability to influence and “lead”.  You know: “Lead, Follow or Get the h— out of the way” types.

Two of my favorites here would be George Patton and Lee Iacocca.  For those who don’t know or remember, Patton was the American General that turned around the fortunes of the Allies in WWII and helped defeat the Nazis.  Iaccoca was the former Ford exec that turned around Chrysler in the early 1980’s.  He borrowed money from Uncle Sam and paid it off a year early.  He was also the guy who brought out the Mustang while at Ford and made things happen.  So much so that Henry canned him and he then landed at Chrysler.

So why should we care?

I look at today’s political situation and what do I see?

An Individual Contributor, great speech maker or a Leader who is negotiating the biggest spending bill in US history to his criteria?  It’s one thing to give good speeches and quite another to “be in the arena with face marred by dust and sweat and blood” negotiating “the deal”.  Someone working the Congress instead of running around like a rock star giving speeches.

What do you see?

Entry Filed under: Management, People