What is the difference between leadership and management? The whole goal of a business is to be more efficient to the market you serve than the competition. This requires leaders, not just managers, who care deeply about the mission, people and product. Horst Schulze outlines three ways you can make sure you're more than just a manager:
Hospitality matters. A customer wants three things: (1) a perfect product that (2) arrives on-time from (3) someone who cares. But how good are we at hospitality, really? The Bible tells us all guests who arrive should be received as if they are Jesus Christ themselves, with all honor and complete humility. How do we measure against that standard? True leadership cares about and involves people. It implies a destination, then aligns people to come along. Is your preferred future the best for all concerned? Our leadership should be measured against God’s values.
Hiring the right people. Get the people on the bus that will align to the destination you have been called to go. Spell the destination and vision out for new employees and show them how they fit and will benefit from it from day one. Remember, behavior for new employees is set on their very first day. Make sure employees know and repeat these expectations and values until engrained in their mind and behavior. Don't just tell employees what to do. Connecting them to the solution and show them how to be a part of it. This means you can't simply hire people for function. Instead, hire those who will be a part of the purpose and mission, making sure they understand the "why".
Efficiency is not about cutting costs, which often leads to a watered down customer experience and brand. Instead, manage every input. If you can negotiate a small savings in inputs, you can begin differentiating from your competition. Eliminate work that is not important and analyze every input for efficiency. Eliminate the defects, which is a large opportunity for improving client experience and lowering costs. These defects are often several steps away from the problem presenting itself. Get down on the ground floor and trace your problems back to the true root.