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Chapter 12

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL AS

LEADER

Leader vs. Manager

I used to think that running an organization was equivalent to conducting a
symphony orchestra. But I don't think that's quite it; it's more like jazz.
There is more improvisation. Warren Bennis.

Both leading and managing are crucial to the success of an effective
organization. In fact, one must manage effectively in order to be able to
lead. 316 John Kotter, writing in his book The Leadership Factor, stated that
organizations are facing a key challenge in this globally competitive
environment because even the best “professional managers” are often

ineffective because they cannot also lead. 317

Unfortunately, it appears that many of the nation’s MBA programs are
focused on producing skilled managers with quantitative and management
abilities, but they are not helping their students learn how to lead. The
318
same thing can probably be said of much of the training taking place in the
field of economic development. Furthermore, the on-the-job experience of

organizational staff also tends to foster the acquisition of management
skills, providing fewer opportunities to develop leadership competencies.

In our knowledge-based economy, the focus is increasingly on the
knowledge of the people in the organization. This makes it more difficult

to separate management and leadership. The staff looks to their managers,
not just to assign them a task, but to define their work’s purpose. Why are
they being asked to do what they do? Managers also have to organize the
staff; not just to improve efficiency, but also to nurture their skills, develop
their talent, and inspire results.

316 Richard Lynch, Lead! How Public and Nonprofit Managers Can Bring Out the Best in Themselves
and Their Organizations. San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1993, p. 8.
317 John Kotter, The Leadership Factor, 1988, p. 15.
318 James F. Bolt, “Developing Three-Dimensional Leaders.” Frances Hesselbein, et.al.editors. The
Leader of the Future. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996. P. 165.

David Kolzow 295