Leaders and leader/managers distinguish themselves from the general run of managers in at least six respects: | |
1) They think longer term — beyond the day’s crises, beyond the quarterly report, beyond the horizon. | |
2) In thinking about the unit they are heading, they grasp its relationship to larger realities — the larger organization of which they are a part, conditions external to the organization, global trends. | |
3) They reach and influence constituents beyond their jurisdictions, beyond boundaries. | |
4) They put heavy emphasis on the intangibles of vision, values, and motivation and understand intuitively the nonrational and unconscious elements in leader-constituent interaction. | |
5) They have the political skill to cope with the conflicting requirements of multiple constituencies. | |
6) They think in terms of renewal. The routine manager tends to accept organizational structure and process as it exists. The leader or leader/manager seeks the revisions of process and structure required by ever-changing reality. | |
— John W. Gardner | |
From his book: “On Leadership“ | |
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