Everything rises and falls on Leadership.  This is true for organizations, institutions, governments, families, and individuals.  Leadership is the ability to take responsibility for the current NOW and chart a path to a different future.  As such leadership embraces change, for there is no other way to get to that different future without changing the current NOW.  The only difference between a government, a corporation, an institution, or an individual is scale, which involves complexity.  Everyone has the ability to step up as a leader for their personal life, although it seems that not all do.  Relatively few will find themselves in the role of Leader within their company or at the governmental level.

What is really needed more often than not, however, is someone who can follow the charted path into a different future.  What is needed are Managers.

Leaders without Managers often wind up as unemployed dreamers whereas competent Managers are always in demand.  Even in your personal life there is often the need to bring in a manager who can assist you in moving to the new future you have envisioned.  This might be a personal trainer, a college program, a nutritionist, a spiritual mentor, etc.

In fact, from my experience, the lack of leadership in our country often boils down to the leader’s inability to bring alongside him/herself competent managers. It is the Manager who makes sure the work goes smoothly.  It is the Manager who troubleshoots the processes and implements improvements.  It is the Manager who focuses the team on the problem at hand.

Everyone wants to be the Leader, but beyond leading themselves, few will actually do so.  That’s OK because for every Leader, multiple-managers are needed.  What is needed are Managers who will embrace the significance of their role.  Individuals who will rise above the disputes about leaders vs managers and simply roll up their sleeves and step into the gap, these are what we really need.