A few weeks ago, I bumped into an old friend at the mall. She is the director of customer service for a manufacturing firm. Here is a snippet of the conversation we had: 

“How are you?” I asked.

“I’m managing... “ 

Her reply lingered in my thoughts and triggered me to want to take a closer look at the word “manage.” I was compelled to look it up, and here’s what I found on Dictionary.com:

man·age

\[man-ij\] Show IPA

verb (used with object), man·aged, man·ag·ing. 

1. to bring about or succeed in accomplishing, sometimes despite difficulty or hardship: She managed to see the governor. How does she manage it on such a small income? 

2. to take charge or care of: to manage my investments. 

3. to dominate or influence (a person) by tact, flattery, or artifice: He manages the child with exemplary skill. 

4. to handle, direct, govern, or control in action or use: She managed the boat efficiently. 

5. to wield (a weapon, tool, etc.).               

None of those definitions feel particularly appealing. They sound arduous, laborious, forceful, and heavy. In other words, they sound barely okay. 

And yet, managing is the job we give to the elite in organizations as a reward for their dedication and talent. It’s the title we give to people who are meant to hold the company together and make it all happen. 

Historically, management was held up as a position to be proud of and one that carried some level of prestige and accomplishment. It has always been a position to move towards on the corporate ladder and has been given to individuals who demonstrate leadership qualities. 

Consider the often-heard phrase, “He does a great job of managing his people.” Here, the term “manage” implies the act of controlling the behavior of others in order to achieve some goal. Is control akin to leadership? Perhaps it’s time we look at management a little more closely. 

A multitude of best-selling books have been written about leadership. A couple of well-known favorites include Good to Great by Jim Collins and Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute. While they all come at leadership from a different point of view, they all agree on one basic premise: effective leadership is the key success factor in world-class organizations. 

The question that surfaces from all this review is whether or not managing is truly a leadership quality.

Let’s look at a short-list of the responsibilities that managers are typically charged with: 

• ensuring that employees meet or exceed performance standards

• ·overseeing compliance with the policies, rules, and regulations of the corporation

• building harmony amongst team members

• delivering top-notch customer service

• growing profit margin. 

If we look at these responsibilities from the perspective of the corporation, one critical skill touches each responsibility: getting the best out of each individual on the team. Does managing people achieve that goal? More important, if the traditional definition is taken into consideration, managing people may not serve to achieve the set objective. Indeed, “domination, control, governing, and wielding” are not conducive to getting the best out of anyone. 

I propose that seeing the best in team members and sharing that vision might just be a far more effective approach. Creating an environment where team members are invited to step up and rewarded for their initiative while trusting them to bring the very best of themselves to the table every day. This model of leadership will achieve more than “governing, controlling, or dominating” their every action. 

Look around your organization, your family, and your relationships—just how much managing is going on?  Perhaps a different approach might yield the results you seek.