Leadership vs. Management; People vs. Staff

Is it just me or are we all getting tired of these various nomenclatures? People vs. Staff, Leadership vs. Management, Coaching & Mentoring vs. Directing, etc. etc. Are we doing ourselves any favours?

I would argue that, no matter what words tend to make up the styles that are brought to the workforce, they need to be on behalf and in benefit of the organization and the people within it. I have said this before and I will say it again, People are the strongest resource of the organization and they are the weakest. They can make or break the organization.

Manager's from varying cultures, diverse groups, across sectors & varying industries alike, need to recognize that the people that work in these organizations are just that, people! Why do we tend to forget that, when we go into the office? People need to be recognized, need to be valued and need to have pride developed into their work. They are all contributing members of the workforce and should be recognized as such.

People tend to lose focus, lose interest and tend to have the punch card mentality we so often detest. Yet, we (the collective "we" - Manager's) do very little to find out what the issues are, what the collective wisdom is, what the solutions are, etc. Why is it so difficult for Leader's to collaborate? Wait, let me rephrase that - Why is it so difficult for Leader's to collaborate with their own people, not always individuals they would consider in the higher echelon's and/or within their own rank and file? We talk a big game, teach our up and coming Manager's the same, but do we really put actions behind those words? I would suggest not.

Every great king had a successful knight; every great President, a successful Minister; similarly every great Manager, a successful employee. After all, people who lead successful people are inherently successful. It says something about a leader and/or a manager, who has the capacity and the capability to lead an army of intelligent, hard working shining stars.

The day we stop talking and the day we start walking the talk, is the day we can hope for a better environment for the people that work for & with us. This is an interesting topic and I hope to discuss it further along the lines of the various theories bouncing around my head:
- The Manager - The rise & fall
- The Employee - The new styles
- The Union - The word that no one utters
- The Leader - Dictator or Mentor?
- ...

Stay tuned.. More to come on this as the thoughts percolate.