Defining Great Leadership

When most people think of leadership, they likely define it as the ability of an individual or a group of people to influence and guide followers or members of an organization, society or team. To me, leadership takes on a different meaning: it is the ability to get work done successfully through people with minimal rancor and maximum engagement. 

Having worked in human resources and change management for more than 20 years, I have found that certain things I was told about leadership and management are different from my own learnings and experiences. Let’s explore the differences between leadership and management, as well as dispel some of the myths associated with both.

Ideals Compared to Realities 

Early in my career, I was told that leaders need to communicate effectively. While this does ring true in practice, what leaders communicate and how they communicate matters, too. Communicating with authenticity is key. Ensure you are clear about what you know – and what you don’t know – and be open as often as you can.

Many leaders are told that they must be strong and hold all the answers in order for individuals to follow them. Yet, transparency and vulnerability can unlock a new level of support and engagement from associates — across all levels. I have seen and experienced firsthand that individuals follow people that inspire, motivate and support them, as well as have their backs.

We are also told that goal setting is critical to success. Setting goals – especially stretch goals that might go outside of your or your team’s comfort zone – is important. But it is just as important to establish the vision of where your team is going and the strategy of how you’ll get there. Great leaders delegate authority and responsibility, monitor progress against goals, ensure accountability and celebrate successes.

Leader or Manager?

Managers and leaders bear many similarities and share very parallel duties. In fact, the two terms are often confused. However, as I’ve heard said before — not all managers are leaders, but all leaders are managers. 

Managers plan, coordinate and organize departments, initiatives and people. They are primarily focused on meeting deadlines and handling the day-to-day operations. Management is about tasks and control, often to maintain status quo. Leaders, on the other hand, inspire and motivate people to achieve organizational goals, ultimately empowering their associates to bring about meaningful change.

That is not to say management is bad – control is necessary so that an organization or group does not descend into chaos. And, as much as maintaining the status quo might sound drab, it isn’t always wrong either. In fact, that same Gartner study found that too much change is exhausting for teams. Only 43% of employees with above-average change fatigue intend to stay with their organization. 

That said, when change is necessary, great managers know how to battle against resistance. They can confront the four types of change resistance: self-interest, lack of trust, different evaluations and low tolerance for disruption. 

In contrast, leaders focus on developing interpersonal relationships with both internal and external contacts to engage them in achieving the long-term goals of the organization. One way to ensure effective management while also leading is utilizing co-creation strategy, which involves including employees throughout the process. It can also involve clients or other stakeholders which, for an organization like Velera, is critical for developing roadmaps for initiatives like fintech product innovation. We need to understand what our credit unions want, but we also need to know what our employees can realistically execute. 

Approaching leadership from a co-creation strategy – or collaboration – is one way to enact human-centric leadership, which is the prescription for every growth-oriented organization today. Other common leadership traits include authenticity, empathy and adaptability, keeping in mind that leading is always about people.

Becoming a Leader

One of the most important aspects of being a great leader is surrounding yourself with others that also prioritize authenticity, empathy, adaptability and collaboration. You don’t necessarily have to find them; often, you can develop them. As the saying goes, “steel sharpens steel,” so the best way to develop these skills is to lead by example. Start with a look in the mirror and quiz yourself:

• Do I model self-expression and empower others to do the same?
• Do I show as much genuine care for our people as our projects?
• Am I flexible enough to change processes when I perceive differences?
• Have I worked hard enough to build cross-team relationships and feedback loops?

With all of this in mind, managers can re-position themselves to become not just leaders, but great leaders that inspire their fellow associates, increase engagement and minimize issues. Are you up to the challenge?

Cheryl Middleton Jones has served as Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer for Velera since January 2024. Prior to the PSCU/Co-op Solutions combination, she served as Chief People Officer at Co-op Solutions since November 2018, bringing more than 20 years of human resources and change management experience within large organizations to help lead Co-op’s transformation as a digital enterprise.