If you’re a Chief Human Resources or Chief People Officer, then you can request to join a brand new community I put together called Future Of Work Leaders which focuses on the future of work and employee experience. Join leaders from Tractor Supply, Johnson & Johnson, Lego, Dow, Northrop Grumman and many others. We come together virtually each month and once a year in-person to tackle big themes that go beyond traditional HR.
We’ve been separating leadership and management into two different roles in organizations for decades. It may seem harmless, but it may be quietly undermining our teams.
For years, we thought one is supposed to be the “people person”—the visionary, the motivator, the culture-builder. While the other is the “process person”—the one who handles structure, risk, and execution.
At first glance, it makes sense: let the managers manage, let the leaders lead. But the gap between the two is why your teams are disengaged, your strategies don’t land, your culture doesn’t stick, and your best ideas never get off the ground.
In today’s Leadership Spark, I’ll show you the consequences of this outdated split and how organizations can rethink what it means to lead in the modern workplace.
Listen to the episode here on Apple Podcast & leave a review!
Why Splitting Leadership from Management Fails
We’ve all seen the classic dichotomy play out: managers are focused on numbers, deadlines, and process. Leaders, on the other hand, are seen as the big-picture thinkers who inspire, empower, and set the vision.
The problem is that most organizations promote people into management positions based on performance, then try to retroactively teach them how to “be a leader.” They’re given inspirational books, sent to soft skills workshops, and expected to start motivating people.
At the same time, we have an influx of people with big ideas such as founders, creatives, and so-called visionaries who are told they’re “natural leaders,” but who’ve never learned the operational side of business. They can inspire, but they can’t execute. And eventually, the lack of practical know-how catches up to them.
Giving someone leadership training doesn’t mean they suddenly know how to build trust, manage conflict, or create clarity.
A story from David Marquet, a former nuclear submarine captain, is a perfect illustration of what happens when authority is assumed without understanding the underlying systems or when teams are trained to follow commands instead of thinking critically.
The story reveals that when we train people only to lead without teaching them to manage (or vice versa), we create organizations full of half-built professionals.
That’s why the future of leadership isn’t about choosing one or the other. It’s about developing complete leaders: people who can both inspire and execute, who understand vision and process, who are trusted by their teams and trusted with the business.
…
HR just changed for good with the introduction of Human Intelligence™.
By combining AI and the uniquely authentic data of Workhuman’s #1 rated employee recognition platform, Human Intelligence reveals previously unobtainable insights into skills, performance, culture and more. Human Intelligence also helps coach employees on what good peer-to-peer recognition looks like, turning every “good job” into better engagement, retention, and wellbeing. And it helps surface feel-good stories that illustrate the best of your company culture.
Want to learn more? Human Intelligence at Workhuman.com, and join their force for good.
…
So How Do We Fix It?
Instead of promoting someone into a management role and then scrambling to give them leadership training, why not identify the people in our organizations who already have trust, influence, and vision—and then teach them how to manage?
These people already possess what leadership researchers call referent power. They’re followed because others want to follow them. That’s a much stronger foundation than promoting someone because they’ve been around the longest or have the most technical skill.
Give these natural leaders the training to handle the operational side: processes, team building, decision-making, accountability. You’ll not only avoid the “accidental manager” trap, but you’ll also build capable leaders.
Listen to the episode here on Apple Podcast & leave a review!
Why This Shift Matters More Than Ever
With employee engagement still stubbornly low across the globe (Gallup reports just 13% of employees are engaged worldwide), it’s clear that something isn’t working. Part of that failure lies in this outdated idea that managing people and leading them are separate tasks.
They’re not.
Today’s organizations need hybrid leaders who can set the vision and get their hands dirty. People who can empathize with others while still holding them accountable. People who can give direction without becoming dictators. If you want innovation, ownership, and performance, you need to bridge the gap between inspiration and execution.
Want to hear how one submarine captain transformed a failing crew using this exact mindset and how you can apply the same principles in your organization?
Listen to this week’s Leadership Spark episode right here.
🎧 Listen here
#Hidden #Danger #Separating #Leadership #Management #Bridge #Gap #Jacob #Morgan #BestSelling #Author #Speaker #Futurist #Leadership #Future #Work
