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Management Versus Leadership

This is an excerpt from Fitness Facility Management by Steven A. Trotter & Chris Stevenson.

Where does engagement start? It starts at the top with solid management and leadership. As you recall from the preface, management and leadership are very different. However, one person may serve as an organization’s leader and manager. Think of it this way—leaders look outward, while managers look inward. Another way to look at it is leaders help drive the organization forward, while ­managers ensure that everything functions internally so that it can move forward.

Management is defined as the activity required to run and control a business or organization. While managers are involved in budgeting, marketing, and other activities, most of their work revolves around creating and engaging team members. Managers spend their time finding candidates, conducting interviews, running new hire onboarding programs, providing development opportunities, delivering coaching, and administering evaluations. What all of those responsibilities boil down to is a proficient manager who puts team members in a position to succeed. When team members flourish, organizations thrive.

The goal of a manager is to create what Gallup has defined as a strengths-based organization (Gallup 2023b). A strengths-based organization is precisely what it sounds like, an organization where team members can best use their strengths to make the most significant impact in helping achieve a vision. Having a strengths-based organization can distinguish your organization from others by helping you attract the best candidates to maximize your team members’ performance. Gallup research (Gallup 2023c) shows that when employees know and use their strengths, they are almost six times more engaged, perform at a much higher level, and are far more likely to stay with the organization. An integral approach to creating this type of organization is to shift from a boss to a coach.

A boss mentality centers around giving orders and assignments. Bosses tend to be rigid and reactive. They tend to follow the letter of the law with a “blinders on” mentality. They see team members as people who serve them. A coaching mentality is the opposite and is far more effective in creating a strengths-based organization. Great coaches bring out the best in team members by nurturing and developing them. Coaches are flexible and proactive.

Contrary to bosses, coaches see themselves as people who serve team members. For example, let’s examine the following scenario from the boss’s and coach’s points of view. A team member falls short with a new customer experience best practice that has been added to your minimum service standards. A boss will likely ask them to improve by a specific date, or there will be inevitable consequences. A coach, however, takes a much different approach. A coach expresses empathy, exploring with the team member why they are falling short, and then ­providing training, coaching, and support to improve performance. A coach’s mentality is the best way to create a strengths-based organization and healthy culture.

When maximizing your or your team’s strengths, think of it as a strengths star. Each team member is a star, and each one of the points on the star represents a particular strength or talent. Most of us tend to think of performance as a circle. We believe if we spend time and energy on improving our team members’ weaknesses, they become more well-rounded, making them more effective team members. While there is some truth to this, there are also some significant downfalls. All people have things that they are inherently good at and also things they don’t do so well. Investing time and energy into improving weaknesses generally only produces minimal improvements. In addition, it takes resources away from working on maximizing strengths. So, instead of making employees well-rounded, help them become a star. Each point on the star represents their strengths. Work with them to develop their strengths, and don’t waste much time on their weaknesses. This approach not only allows employees to perform at the highest level possible but it also improves morale and happiness in the workplace. Question 3 of the Gallup Q¹²⁺ (Gallup 2023c) employee engagement survey is “At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.” You effectively address this crucial component of employee engagement when you coach employees to become strength stars. While this is a highly effective approach to employee satisfaction, high engagement levels, and improved retention, it presents one question. If there isn’t a focus on improving employees’ weaknesses, won’t there be overall performance gaps in the organization? The answer is no, as long as the metaphorical bus is full and everyone is in the right seat.

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