FOLLOW THE LEADERwho have an eye for those small things that the leader often overlooks
as he focuses on the “Big Picture”! There is an important principle that
says: “The devil is in the details!” The devil will often sabotage a leader’s
vision by destroying him through overlooked or mismanaged details.
As King Solomon wisely pointed out, it is the “...little foxes that spoil
the vineyard” (Song. 2:15). Down through history, many a leader’s
visionary vineyard was destroyed because he ignored or overlooked some
important details! At the time, those details may have seemed small and
insignificant. Over time those “foxy little details” wreaked havoc – and
“spoiled their leadership vineyard!” Ignored details can be like unseen
termites that eat away at the foundation of a person’s leadership. Little
details continuously ignored will ultimately mount up and create an
avalanche of destruction!
Because the subject of management is so critical to leadership, I want to
pause and look at a few principles about this supportive partnership role.
Since many books and business journals have been written on this subject
alone – it needs at least a full chapter by me! However, I will only share
a few principles concerning the roles and relationships of leadership and
management-ship (There are more helpful quotes and insights at the end
of this chapter).
- Management deals most with the status quo, while leadership
deals mostly with change.^18 - Management works within the paradigm.
Leadership creates new paradigms. Management
works within the system. Leadership works on the
system Fundamental to putting first things first in our lives is
leadership before management: ‘Am I doing the right things?’
before ‘Am I doing things right?’^19 - While management is problem-oriented, leadership is
opportunity-oriented...While management works in the
system, leadership works on the system.^20 - Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the
right things.^21