Summarizes the issues related to taking the lead. Where you position yourself and what philosophy of management you adopt will determine what kind of manager you choose to be. Keep in mind that leadership is but one of three functions of the manager and it is not done in isolation. Managers will not set some specific time to lead. Leading takes place while performing those many administrative duties and while providing direction to the organization. Taking the lead involves being the pathfinder, the visionary, the coalition builder, the doer, the implementer, and means using your power to influence. You look to your staff for ideas but that doesn’t absolve you from injecting your own. You as manager set the direction.
A review of that effective managers are purposeful, as suggested by Bruch and Ghoshal. Can you conceive of yourself being in the procrastinator, disengaged, or distracted categories? Can you conceive of yourself in the laissez-faire, authoritarian, or human relations category suggested by Lawler? Isn’t participative management as suggested by Lawler (not democratic leadership), used within a framework seeking input from those who can provide knowledgeable input, the way to manage? I use the term "knowledgeable input" because opinions from those not schooled in the subject are of little if any value. Occasionally someone who knows nothing about a topic may raise a very important issue, but will not have the ability to resolve the problem.
Bennis and Thomas suggest that leadership skills are gained through profound experiences they refer to as life-defining moments and we need to be cognizant of these life-defining moments and learn from them. You’ll become a purposeful manager when you apply the principles of participative management and practice, you develop the ability to adapt to different circumstances and environments, you create shared meaning and motivate, you treat all people with dignity and respect, and you maintain a strong moral compass. Your career target involves taking the lead as a purposeful manager, using the participative approach, and meeting the characteristics of the leader.