Back in the day when I was in the operations world, I used to cringe upon hearing the word management when applied in the context of people making decisions that impacted our ability to get the job done smartly. I remember my boss at that time taking the same outlook, saying he didn't believe in management by itself and saying you have to have leadership skills also. He said, '...if you have good leadership skills, you have good management skills. But it starts with leadership first.' He was a man that found the balance in both, and because we had such a great team that was able to get the job done in the middle of the suck and nearly all the time without drama, I still believe that to this day. Both go hand in hand, and without one the other waffles. A leader knows how to be in the front and set the example for the team, including being empathetic but doling out tough love when needed - overall, being a source of inspiration to keep the team going. A manager knows how to run the administrivia behind the scenes and figure out ways to get the goals of the business accomplished. It can be broken down more than that, but that's the simple definition in my words.
The other day, a big fallout occurred at a level above my head that trickled down to my program and impacted me and my subordinate managers. I took the fallout issue, figured out the way we needed to fix it, and then let the rest of the team know what I was doing and what they needed to get done on their end so we can keep things from falling off the rails. I also let them know I was there to answer any questions and guide them through the process if they needed help. Thankfully, they were able to make adjustments with minimum involvement from me and take care of the problem at their levels. But one of them asked me what it felt like to have that crisis dropped in my lap out of the blue. My reply to the question was basically that this situation was manageable - that it was no where near the stuff I had to deal with in my other work life, so it was ok and we can handle it. To that person however, I could see how it was a big task. But to me, it was something I could grab and fix.
This is why I feel grateful to be in the job I have now. It is also why I am grateful to have went through the experiences I had in my previous jobs despite hating it at the time. The term 'embrace the suck' was so common back then that it was normal to live in crisis. Now, it's not. But when it happens, I'm ready.
Oh - the donuts. That is what a leader does. From a friend who took care of me from day one at my assignment in Hawaii; among many things she did to take care of people in our organization while fighting battles on different fronts everyday, she brought in treats regularly. These red velvet cake donuts were hands down the best I've ever had.
