More on what New Futures means by leadership

Perhaps we can bring this definition of leadership to life by clarifying what we think leadership is not.

Leadership is not the same as position or formal authority
Commonly, people speak of 'leadership positions', generally at or near the top of the organisation. This view continues the myth that leadership is the province of the few and that everyone else should follow. In today's high change environments, we think people at all levels need to be encouraged to contribute to leadership, including people without direct people management responsibilities. Many of the fundamental skills of leadership are surprisingly similar between front line managers and senior executives, though the context in which those skills are exercised obviously differs. The implication is that leadership needs to be shared and that development should occur at all levels.

Leadership is not the same as management
New Futures believes the 1995 'Karpin Report' on Leadership and Management Skills for Australia got it wrong when they effectively concluded leadership and management cannot usefully be separated and are best thought of in terms of managerial competencies.(1) We prefer to think of leadership as to do with enabling deep-reaching change while management is concerned with ensuring orderly day-to-day operations.

We make the distinction between leadership and management because in many organisations there is an over-emphasis on the management mode of working, with the more subtle aspects of leadership being lost or neglected.

Just as it is important to distinguish leadership and management, however, we also need to be able to bring them together. Managers need skills in both areas. Our programs deal with the more subtle or implicit aspects of leadership, such as the processes of working with people who appear to be resisting change, or creating a shared vision from among people from different backgrounds. We also deal with people management topics and skills such as performance management, coaching and effective teamwork.

Leadership is not the same as 'leaders'
Many consultants and organisations focus on identifying and developing a few high potential individuals, who are seen to have leadership potential. This reflects a traditional 'strong-leader-out-front' model of leadership. We see leadership in organisations as referring more to a style of working rather than to individuals, though personal attributes and behaviours are important as well.

Our approach to leadership development centres on enabling competent - though not necessarily exceptional - individuals at all levels of the organisation to take leadership actions, and to support and encourage others in doing the same.
(1) Enterprising Nation: Report of the Industry Task Force on Leadership and Management Skills, AGPS, April 1995

For a discussion of the issues relating to leadership development in a public sector context, see Don Dunoon's article "Rethinking Leadership for the Public Sector", from the Australian Journal of Public Administration, available for free download from the Articles page.

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