Page 10 - KZN Business Sense 12.4 - Terry Flack

MANAGEMENT VS LEADERSHIP: WHY MOST

BUSINESSES DON’T HAVE A TEAM PROBLEM,

THEY HAVE A MANAGEMENT PROBLEM

Trevor Clark, Business
coach, executive coach,
professional speaker
and global trainer

meet a lot
of business
I wners who
o
say to me:
“Trevor, the
problem
is… you just
can’t find
good people
nowadays.”
My response is usually a
question. “Pick any top business
in South Africa. Discovery.
Hollywoodbets. Take your pick.
Do they have good people?”
Answer: “Yes, of course they do.”
Well then, the better question
to ask may be: “Why would good
people want to work for YOU?”
Because in most cases, you do
not have a people problem. You
have a management problem.
The Myth vs The Reality
The myth is simple: “If I hire
better people, my problems go
away.” investor, and entrepreneur, they Very few have strong management. on-one with your key people? management systems. Because
stay trapped at the manager when management improves,
The reality is this: Without clear level. Busy, frustrated, and often What Good Management ■ Are priorities reviewed and performance follows.
management, even good people blaming their team. Actually Looks Like reset weekly?
underperform. Without rhythm, things drift. Management Skill is a Muscle
The reality is simple: If you can’t Good management is not You Can Train
They become busy, not manage people well, you can’t scale complicated. But it is disciplined. 4. Measurement
productive. They try hard but miss a business. Here are four areas worth If you are not measuring, you are If this resonates, it may be time
the mark. They get frustrated. And reviewing in your own business: guessing. Every role should have to strengthen your management
so do you. Because no one has (PS. Reach out to me if you 1. Clarity clear numbers. capability. We are currently
clearly defined what good looks would like my full article on the ■ What activities are being launching our online, 12-week
like. Entrepreneurial Ladder – it was Do your people know exactly what tracked? Management Masterclass, a
published here in KZN Business is expected of them? Not vaguely. training programme designed
Why So Many Business Owners Sense years ago.) Not in theory. Clearly. ■ What results are expected? specifically for business owners
Get Stuck ■ What does success look like in ■ Are those numbers reviewed and leaders who want to build
One of the frameworks we teach Management vs Leadership their role? regularly? high-performing teams, improve
is the Entrepreneurial Ladder. At Here’s the simplest way to ■ What are their priorities this Performance improves when it is accountability, and create real
a certain point, every business think about it: Leadership creates week? visible. structure in their businesses.
owner moves from doing the passionate, focused people. ■ What does a great job actually If you would like more
work to managing people. And Management creates competent, mean? Stop Being the Bottleneck information or would like to book
this is where many owners get productive people. You need both. Another common pattern I see a seat for yourself or a key member
stuck. They either don’t have the Leadership sets the vision and If there is no clarity, there can be is this: The owner becomes the of your team, reach out. It would
skills to manage effectively, or direction. Management ensures no accountability. problem solver for everything. be a pleasure to connect.
they avoid the discipline that good the work gets done properly, 2. Systems
management requires. consistently, and on time. Most If there is no system, you are Every issue comes back to you. To your success,
businesses have some leadership. relying on memory and goodwill. Every decision waits for you. Every Trevor Clark. 
So instead of climbing to owner, mistake gets fixed by you.
That is not scalable.
■ Do you have checklists and And then we wonder why the T: +27 (0) 31 266 2258
processes for key tasks? business cannot scale. If you keep E: mastery@actioncoach.com
W: www.mastery.co.za
■ Can someone new step into a stepping in, your team never steps
up.
role and perform consistently?
■ Are your best practices Good managers don’t just give
documented? answers. They ask better questions.
They develop people to think,
Consistency comes from systems, decide, and take ownership.
not from people trying harder.
3. Rhythm Final Thought
Management is not something you A strong team is not built SCAN TO
do when there is a problem. It is a by chance. It is built through BOOK YOUR
rhythm. clear expectations, structured 12-WEEK
■ Do you have a structured management, and consistent ONLINE
weekly team meeting? follow-through. If you are MANAGEMENT
frustrated with your team,
■ Are you regularly meeting one- start by looking at your MASTERCLASS

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