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Don Fornes is CEO at Software Advice, a trusted resource for software buyers. Based in Austin, Texas, he founded Software Advice in 2005 after previously holding positions as a software analyst at an investment firm and as a corporate development executive at a pioneering CRM software company. He blogs at A Million Little Wins. You can follow him on Twitter @dfornes and on Google+.

Don Fornes

Implementing Time Management and Productivity Enhancing Principles

Principles for Effective Organization

Here’s the brutal reality: Most HR teams are often playing defense when they should be playing chess.Just like in chess, a winning HR strategy means thinking several moves ahead, anticipating shifts, and shaping outcomes before they arrive.The most strategic teams already operate this way. We call them HR Anticipators—and they drive 33 percent more high-quality leaders and 2X greater likelihood of top-tier financial performance for their companies.The difference isn’t resources—it’s mindset. While HR Reactor teams scramble to fill today’s gaps, Anticipators are already building tomorrow’s leaders.So, what sets them apart? It comes down to four nonnegotiable behaviors that the best HR teams execute relentlessly. The Four Behaviors That Define HR Anticipators 1. They Align Talent Strategy With Tomorrow’s Business HR Reactors fill vacancies as they arise, taking chances that the right person is in the pipeline or that they strike gold with an external hire.HR Anticipators take a different path. They map three- to five-year business strategies directly to the leadership capabilities they’ll need, using it to guide talent and development decisions now.The payoff? A 24 percent higher success rate for high-potential leaders who deliver real results after promotion. In today’s fast-paced environment, that speed to impact is critical.This foresight and its results don’t go unnoticed. Anticipators are 2.1X more likely to have executive sponsorship—crucial backing that fuels programs with the resources and influence they need to succeed.To get there, Anticipators create nested alignment by tying every leadership capability to specific business outcomes at each level. This builds the bench strength they need to support long-term strategy.If your talent strategy only reaches next quarter, you’re already behind.2. They Forecast Capability Gaps Before They Become Crises Accurate forecasting helps avoid costly missteps and limits the damage when disaster does strike.That’s why Anticipators are 2.7X more likely to use systematic forecasting. Placing talent in the wrong roles is expensive, but it’s avoidable. The key is to plan early and often. These teams run scenario planning monthly or quarterly, not just once a year. This is where they gain an edge. When disruption hits, they have leaders ready, instead of scrambling to find someone “good enough.” Consider this your wake-up call. By the time you feel the leadership gap, it’s already too late.3. They Design Development That Solves Real Business Problems In the HR evolution CEOs are calling for, generic box-checking leadership workshops are out.What’s in? Development tied directly to strategic initiatives—the kind that delivers measurable business outcomes and is tailored to each leader’s current needs and future growth.When development solves real business problems, it becomes a multiplier: Every dollar builds both leader capability and business results.4. They Measure What Matters Anticipators focus their measurement where it matters most: business outcomes.They’ve ditched vanity metrics like completion rates and satisfaction scores in favor of power metrics that resonate across the business: readiness rates, time-to-productivity, and revenue per leader.For example, Anticipators are 2.3X more likely to measure actual succession program effectiveness and results, rather than just participation.If you can’t connect your talent initiatives to bottom-line impact, you’re measuring the wrong things. Conclusion HR faces a critical choice: anticipate or get left behind. Every day in reactive mode is a missed chance to build the leadership advantage your organization needs.Becoming an HR Anticipator demands a full mindset shift: from order-taker to strategic advisor, from filling roles to building capability, from activity metrics to business impact. That’s how you elevate your role and claim the chessboard.The shift from Reactor to Anticipator is proven—and the business impact is waiting. Ready to transform your HR impact? Get the complete Anticipator framework in our HR Insights Report 2025. Read the full report.

From Cost Center to Profit Driver: The HR Evolution CEOs Are Demanding 

The Silver TsunamiHere's a sobering statistic that should keep every C-suite executive awake at night: 10,000 baby boomers are retiring every day in the US alone. That's not just people walking out the door, it's decades of institutional knowledge and hard-earned expertise evaporating into thin air.This Silver Tsunami isn't a distant threat. It's here, swirling around us right now. APQC’s recent survey of 1,000 knowledge management (KM) professionals across industries revealed that 51 percent of the enterprise workforce will retire or leave within five years. That’s half the organizational brain trust. Gone.The Boiling FrogRemember the parable of the boiling frog? The creature doesn't notice the water heating up gradually until it's too late to jump out. That's exactly what's happening to businesses today. While 58 percent of C-level executives and 51 percent of board members express concern about knowledge loss from departing retirees, the response has been glacially slow.The most damning finding? A staggering 92 percent of organizations don't capture knowledge on a regular basis. They are literally watching their competitive advantage walk out the door, day after day.Quill and PapyrusThe few companies attempting knowledge capture are stuck in the Stone Age. The survey revealed that 53 percent still rely on manual capture and documentation methods—essentially digital versions of quill and papyrus. Picture this: 30 percent of organizations wait until employees are literally heading for the exit door to capture their knowledge. Another 23 percent conduct last-minute elicitation interviews, which are typically rushed and shallow. Even worse, 37 percent depend on informal people-to-people transfers.These antiquated approaches are neither scalable nor sustainable—they're business malpractice.AI: Opportunity and ProblemEnter AI—both the solution and the problem rolled into one disruptive package. The opportunity is enormous: AI can automate knowledge capture, analyze patterns in expert decision-making, and create searchable repositories of institutional wisdom at unprecedented speed and scale.But here's the rub—the survey found that nine in 10 of respondents aren't leveraging AI to automate KM. And there's a reason: trust. Organizations are terrified of AI-generated answers that could be incorrect or non-compliant. It's a classic catch-22: the technology that could solve the knowledge crisis is paralyzed by accuracy concerns. No wonder 95 percent of AI pilots are failing to deliver business ROI, according to recent MIT research.KM and AI: BFFs for Business ValueAI automates knowledge management, and knowledge management makes AI trustworthy. This symbiotic relationship works because robust content management practices ensure AI has clean, accurate, well-governed data to work with. Meanwhile, AI handles the heavy lifting of knowledge automation to speed up the entire knowledge capture, retention, publishing, and optimization process.BFFs in ActioneGain’s Fortune 500 and Global 1000 clients are already striking gold with the combined power of AI and knowledge management:A global financial services corporation enhanced first contact resolution rates by 36 percent and cut onboarding duration by 40 percent through AI-powered knowledge platforms.A leading utility eliminated knowledge silos and sped up knowledge creation 10X while improving search success 6X.A fast-growing SaaS enterprise boosted contact center representative confidence by 60 percent and self-help utilization by 30 percent.A major federal government department serving 25 million citizens saw their Forrester CX Index ranking rise by a third in a single year.A massive federal agency redirected 70 percent of inbound calls to AI-enabled virtual support while slashing case resolution time by 25 percent.These aren't incremental improvements—they're transformational results that land these organizations in the elite 5 percent of companies succeeding with AI.Beat the Clock (and the Competition)!Your experts are retiring. The clock is ticking. Every day you delay implementing AI-enabled knowledge capture is another day of irreplaceable expertise walking out your door forever.Organizations that act now to leverage the power of AI and KM will emerge as the winners. They'll turn the knowledge exodus into a knowledge edge, transforming the Silver Tsunami from an existential threat into a competitive advantage.The question isn't whether you can afford to invest in AI-enabled knowledge capture and retention. The question is whether you can afford not to. Because in today’s knowledge-centered economy, there are no participation trophies—only winners and losers.The tsunami is here. Will you surf it or be swept away by it?

Strike Gold in the Silver Tsunami With AI-Enabled Knowledge Retention

Federal and state agencies are investing heavily in modernization initiatives—particularly for HR, payroll, and administrative systems. In FY 2025, the Department of Defense alone allocated $10.9 billion across 24 major IT business programs. Yet more than 68 percent of that funding was spent on operations and maintenance, not modernization projects. The result? More than half of these federal transformation programs reported cost overrun and delays extending as long as 48 months.But these aren’t just infrastructure issues—they often reflect a breakdown between system deployment and user adoption. GAO’s most recent reviews (GAO‑25‑107649, June 12, 2025; GAO‑24‑106912, July 11, 2024) confirm that many federal agencies’ IT programs proceed without detailed user readiness planning—notably, a lack of defined training strategies and role-based usage expectations—which contributes to underutilization, schedule delays, unnecessary rework, and diminished transformation value.Legacy Systems and Low Adoption Are Stalling TransformationWhile systems may technically go live, the absence of user-centered enablement means employees either fail to adopt them or revert to legacy workarounds.These gaps show up in the field as:High volumes of avoidable support ticketsProcess errors in timekeeping, personnel actions, and payroll executionLimited insight into who is using the system correctly—and who is strugglingFragmented workflows that increase compliance risks and reduce operational agilityAs of January 2025, more than 460 GAO recommendations on IT modernization remain open, with several tied directly to the lack of workforce preparedness, unclear usage metrics, and insufficient post-launch enablement.A Defense-Wide HCM Transformation Powered by WhatfixIn 2024, one of the largest branches of the US Armed Forces rolled out a unified personnel and pay platform to support more than 1.1 million service members. Recognizing that adoption—not infrastructure—would define success, the agency selected Whatfix as its Digital Adoption Platform (DAP), working in partnership with Insight Public Sector.Whatfix addresses core usability challenges by embedding:In-app guidance customized by roleCompliance prompts and workflow enforcementAnalytics to detect friction and drive continuous improvement With more than 47,000 HR professionals relying on IPPS-A daily, Whatfix will play a vital role in empowering users, reducing errors, and enhancing trust in personnel and pay processes.“This partnership underscores Whatfix’s capability to execute and secure mission-critical implementations in the most complex and high-stakes environments. By enhancing IPPS-A’s accessibility and usability, Whatfix is not only elevating operational efficiency but also reinforcing trust and accuracy in data and payroll management, ensuring the Army’s personnel receive the exceptional support they expect seamlessly and reliably.” — Khadim Batti, CEO & Co-founder, WhatfixBreaking Down HCM Transformation BarriersWhatfix addresses four core public sector roadblocks for HCM transformation projects:ChallengeWhatfix SolutionLegacy WorkflowsConnects new HCM platforms with older systems via guided, seamless workflows.Change ResistanceProvides role-based, contextual training “in the flow of work.”Compliance RiskEmbeds new regulations and just-in-time prompts to enforce policies.Low Adoption VisibilityAnalytics track friction points to support targeted enablement.Enabling HR Modernization Across Public AgenciesWhether you’re running On Prem with Oracle Peoplesoft or in the Cloud, or you’re planning to implement Oracle, Workday, or another application, Whatfix supports:Federal: OPM/CHCO-aligned HR transformation, DEIA tools, workforce analytics Defense and VA: Personnel, payroll, audit compliance, high-volume onboardingState and local: Payroll, timekeeping, civil service systems, self-service portals Whatfix helps agencies move beyond go-live checklists to achieve actual measurable impact. By embedding guidance, training, and analytics directly into the system interface, Whatfix ensures employees don’t just access new tools—they understand and adopt them.Whatfix Digital Adoption Platform embeds role-specific, contextual in-app guidance across complex HCM platforms like Oracle, Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, and UKG, helping federal employees easily navigate HR tasks. This is crucial in the public sector, where legacy transitions often overwhelm users and slow down mission-critical functions like benefits enrollment or performance evaluations.With Smart Tips, Flows, and Task Lists, government agencies can support HR admins, people managers, and frontline employees in completing tasks such as updating personal records, managing payroll changes, or initiating performance reviews—without the need for external manuals or IT support. Whatfix Mirror provides sandbox environments that simulate live HCM applications—ideal for training government staff before system rollout or before employees are equipped to use the live systems. Federal and public sector agencies can safely validate workflows like open enrollment, hiring workflows, or leave approvals without touching production data. This is especially critical in high-stakes HCM scenarios where data accuracy and process compliance are non-negotiable.These replica environments are used to accelerate user confidence, support UAT, and conduct role-based training across HR modules—helping reduce change resistance and increasing first-time task success in platforms like Oracle, Workday or SAP SuccessFactors. With Whatfix Product Analytics, federal HR and IT teams gain real-time insights into application usage, workflow drop-offs, and task completion rates across HCM systems. These analytics help identify friction points in processes such as onboarding or performance reviews, enabling rapid remediation through targeted guidance interventions.Incomplete implementation begins when systems are launched but people are left behind. Whatfix closes that gap—so agencies can unlock the ROI of their modernization efforts.Learn more at whatfix.com/solutions/public-sector.

Modernizing Public Sector HCM: Bridging the Gap Between Investment and Impact

“Next learning challenge.” That’s how many organizations are approaching today’s pace of change. AI, automation, skill gaps, and evolving roles—these forces are transforming how work gets done. They’re also reshaping expectations on how people learn, grow, and deliver results. Training isn’t just about checking the box anymore. It’s about building the right skills at the right time and making sure learning fits into the flow of modern work.Traditional corporate learning models weren’t built for this. They assume time, predictability, and static roles. But today’s workforce needs something different: scalable programs that can flex across departments, keep up with job changes, and prove their value.Here’s how teams are making it happen.1. Start with skills that matterThe volume of training isn’t the problem. Misalignment is.Forward-thinking L&D teams are moving away from generic content libraries and toward skill-based learning pathways that reflect real roles and business outcomes. These aren’t static curricula; they’re responsive frameworks that evolve as workforce needs shift. They’re also using AI-powered insights to identify skills gaps and personalize learning for each role. That means learners aren’t just getting access to content—they’re getting the right content, aligned to their role, their pace, and their path forward.By defining clear role expectations and aligning learning to real outcomes, organizations are closing capability gaps faster, with less guesswork. Employees know what good looks like. Teams track what’s working. And leadership sees a direct line between training and performance.This shift doesn't just benefit learners. It aligns the entire organization around measurable growth.2. Design for the way people actually workThe average learner doesn’t have an hour. Sometimes, they don’t even have ten minutes. They’re juggling meetings, deadlines, and often caregiving or side gigs—wearing multiple hats across work and life.That’s why successful programs are modular, mobile, and adaptive. Think short bursts of targeted content, surfaced when they’re needed most. Think mobile access that works as well on a shop floor as it does in an office.Cohort-based models bring accountability. Self-paced tools offer flexibility. Personalized learning plans support growth at the right speed. And embedded support, like job aids and nudges, ensures training translates into action.This isn’t about attention spans. It’s about fitting into a learner’s reality.3. Make progress measurable and meaningfulThere’s growing pressure to prove the value of learning, not just through activity, but through outcomes.That’s why many teams are turning to platforms and processes that show skill development in motion. Real-time dashboards track proficiency. Hierarchical data structures connect performance back to business goals. Leaders get clarity on where to invest and why it’s working.This visibility isn’t just about optics. It empowers smarter decisions, faster pivots, and long-term alignment between talent strategy and company performance. Teams can track learning outcomes and engagement in real time, using those insights to guide future investments and improve program effectiveness.When outcomes are clearly linked to learning, it becomes a powerful lever for growth.4. Streamline the delivery, not just the contentScaling effective learning across teams, departments, and geographies takes more than good intentions. It takes infrastructure.Disconnected systems, manual tracking, siloed LMS tools, and duplicative processes waste time and erode consistency. Many teams are replacing them with unified ecosystems that connect learning, HR, and performance tools. This cuts down on friction and frees up capacity for strategy.With smart integrations and automation, it becomes easier to launch, track, and optimize programs without getting buried in logistics.The result? Less admin. More impact.Redefine what workforce learning looks likeThis isn’t about tweaking old programs. It’s about building systems that grow with your organization, designing learning that adapts to how people work today, and tying development directly to results that matter.The stakes are high. But so is the opportunity.Right now, teams across industries are helping define what modern workforce learning can be. And they’re setting the pace for what’s next.

4 Ways to Rethink Workforce Learning for Agility and Impact

Most managers measure success in outputs: bottom lines, quarterly gains, performance metrics, and incentives. But the forces that shape those outcomes are often invisible—rooted in relationships, communication, and how people support one another. Many management models overlook these dynamics, treating them as background noise rather than essential systems. Kevin Rockmann, professor of management at George Mason University and CGI corporate partner faculty fellow, argues that managers often lack a nuanced understanding of how employees actually work with and through one another, not just one-on-one with their supervisors. “We’re really trying to get both researchers and practitioners to think about relationships in a different way,” Rockmann says. “And really, the movement we’re working on here is to think more broadly about what relationships do in organizations.’’ For example, Rockmann’s paper in Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior—co-authored by Caroline A. Bartel of the University of Texas—draws on established research concepts of Pipes and Prisms to help managers better understand the often-overlooked importance of interpersonal relationships at work. The Pipes metaphor captures the channels through which the work gets done. They are conduits through which these central processes, like communication and coordination, keep the organization running smoothly. “We can’t really understand organizational effectiveness unless we understand how relationships serve as pipes,” Rockmann says. “To extend the metaphor, managers need to ask if their pipes are clogged? Or whether the pipes are even there?” This might occur, for example, when a new hire joins an organization and their relationship with an incumbent employee helps them navigate team dynamics, answers all their questions efficiently, and ultimately enables work to get done in a timely manner.Rockmann’s research shows that leaders should move beyond focusing solely on their one-on-one relationships with their subordinates and view how relationships function across teams or units of employees. Rockmann says, “My relationship as a manager with my employees matters, but it also involves looking at the Pipes—how are people connected with one another? Is each person getting the support and the help that they need? How well are we communicating and working together as a unit? So, it’s not just about my relationships, but about the relationships of the people I’m managing.” The Prisms metaphor builds on the idea that relationships don’t just get things done more efficiently and produce results—they also influence how subordinates interpret and respond to events and information. For example, when a manager communicates openly with their subordinates about challenges like limited resources or budget cuts, subordinates are more likely to respond with empathy, seeing the situation as a shared problem rather than a failure by their manager. “This is why we’re talking about relationships as a prism or as the most understudied contextual variable in organizations,” Rockmann says. “It’s untapped potential for not only researchers, but also practitioners to think about why things are working or why things aren’t working.” Prisms are the next stage of evolution in sensemaking for managers to recognize how their employees interpret workplace policies or changes, depending not just on what they are told, but also by whom and how. However, most managers still struggle to manage the “pipes,” let alone the more nuanced dynamics of how information is interpreted and processed across teams. Rockmann believes many managers overemphasize tangible incentives—like bonuses —and underestimate the importance of high-quality day-to-day relationships. Such relationships are a lens by which employees view everything in an organization: organizational changes, opportunities, technology, and so on. When the organization becomes a hub for relational support and positive relational interactions, so many other issues organizations face become easier. So, what can managers do? Across his work, Rockmann emphasizes making the cultivation of relationships part of the job itself, fostering collaboration in the KPIs on which employees are evaluated. Infusing such criteria into job descriptions, hiring processes, socialization experiences, and evaluation systems are all ways company leaders and line managers can signal to their subordinates that interpersonal relationships truly matter. When infused in this way, relationships become more of a strategic priority, not just a “nice to have” for the organization.

In the Workplace, Relationships Equal Reality

In a world where leadership expectations continue to evolve, the leap from mid-level manager to senior executive requires more than an expanded job description. It requires a transformed mind.The executive mind isn’t simply about managing more. It’s about thinking differently. It’s a cognitive and behavioral shift marked by three core mindsets: reflective, relational, andstrategic. These aren’t just leadership buzzwords. They’re critical mental disciplines that talent development professionals can cultivate in leaders to accelerate readiness for senior roles.The Reflective MindsetExecutives who don’t reflect tend to react. At the executive level, reactivity can lead to misalignment, burnout, and poor decision making. Reflection is the antidote. The most effective leaders build in space to reflect—not just occasionally, but rhythmically.Silence is one of the most underutilized leadership tools. It doesn’t only mean an absence of noise; it can also provide leaders space—to think, notice, and understand. Thinking thrives in silence, and executive-level thinking demands room to breathe.Reflection often begins with a simple question: What’s beneath the urgency I feel? In solitude, leaders can explore deeper patterns: why a decision feels heavy, how their values are being honored (or not), and where their energy is being spent. Over time, this discipline cultivates clarity, wisdom, and most critically, self-awareness.Reflection is active discernment. It is where clarity and wisdom take root.Application for Talent Development: Encourage reflection through structured silence, journaling prompts, and inquiry-based coaching. Equip leaders to slow their thinking without losing momentum. Integrate reflection as an essential leadership discipline for building sound judgment and greater self-awareness.The Relational MindsetAt the executive level, the most critical work is done with people, not to them. If the reflective mindset is about tuning inward, the relational mindset is about tuning outward. Also known as attunement, this is the quiet skill of reading the room, noticing what’s not being said, and adjusting in real time to lead with empathy, clarity, and precision. A relational leader builds trust, fosters inclusion, and knows how to navigate conflict without compromising dignity. This goes beyond interpersonal skills and being “nice” or “approachable.” It requires emotional presence, relational intelligence, and adaptive sensitivity to what’s happening beneath the surface of the team.Relational leaders communicate with intent, show empathy with accountability, and view interpersonal friction as data rather than disruption.Rather than relying solely on authority, relational leaders use insight to inspire. They understand what drives people both externally through rewards and internally through meaning, values, and purpose. They lead by discerning—not dominating.Application for Talent Development: Design experiences that build both emotional literacy and situational awareness. Utilize tools such as 360-degree feedback, coaching simulations, and real-time observation to foster a relational mindset. Integrate motivation frameworks (like Self-Determination Theory) to help leaders identify what fuels engagement at a deeper level.The Strategic MindsetThe strategic mindset is not simply about long-range planning. It’s the ability to see complexity, connect the dots, and act with foresight. Strategic leaders zoom out to examine systems and zoom in to execute with alignment.Strategic Leaders:See the whole system, not just the silo.Connect dots across time, teams, and trends.Make trade-offs that align with long-term value.They ask questions like: What are the second- and third-order effects of this decision? Where are we reactive instead of responsive? What do we need to stop doing to make space for what matters most?Strategic leaders understand that not all problems are the same. They don’t apply a linear solution to a complex challenge. Instead, they match their response to the nature of the problem. For example:Some challenges are clear and routine, where proven solutions work well.Other challenges are more technical and require expert insight and careful analysis.In some situations, the path forward is uncertain, and no obvious answers exist.In these moments, strategic leaders are willing to experiment, learn in real time, and adjust as they go—drawing from both systems thinking and human judgment.Application for Talent Development: Introduce frameworks like the Stacey Matrix to help leaders discern how to lead in different contexts. Provide strategic simulations or case studies that require decision making amid ambiguity. Encourage reflection on how leaders can shift from problem solving to pattern recognition and from control to coordination in uncertain environments.ConclusionDeveloping an executive mind isn’t about adding more responsibilities to a leader’s plate. It’s about elevating how they think, relate, and respond. For talent development professionals, the work is clear: create the space, tools, and experiences that help mid-level leaders develop these three mindsets. Because the next generation of senior leaders won’t just need more skills. They’ll need an executive mind.

Think Like an Executive: The Mindsets Required to Lead at the Next Level

“What’s the difference between leadership and management?” "Ha,” you might think, “that’s easy”:You manage things but lead people.Anyone can learn to manage, but real leaders are born.Leadership is getting people to do what they don’t want to do. Each of these dances around the concepts, but don’t truly hit the mark. Let’s take them in reverse order. Leadership is getting people to do what they don’t want to do.This one is close—often, leaders must get their people to do undesired or unpleasant things. But this is just a piece of leadership—motivation, specifically. Anyone can learn to manage, but real leaders are born.This is the classic struggle between “trait theory” and “behavioral theory,” the question of whether people are born leaders or if leadership can be learned. Let’s cut through the noise, shall we? Leadership can be learned. After all, if leadership is based on the traits you’re born with, what’s the point of spending billions of dollars on leadership development programs every year? What’s with all that science and those books and magazine articles? Do the traits we’re born with determine our leadership potential? No, but they influence it. Sure, being intelligent, brave, and well-spoken are examples of traits that help you become a better leader. But they’re not mandatory. And how many leaders have you known who are too smart for their own good (“intelligent”), foolhardy (“brave”), and who are all talk and no action (“well-spoken”)? Traits, undisciplined by leadership behaviors, can hurt your leadership ability. You manage things but lead people.This one is a classic. And it is dead wrong! The implication here is that management is a way to control objects, processes, projects, and so forth. That part is right. But it’s also very true that people are managed. There is even a job title for people who do this: managers! Leadership—the interpersonal kind—is considered one of the functions of being a manager. However, it’s a limited way of looking at leadership and management, as if we happily chug along managing our responsibilities until we need to pull out some leadership in dealing with our people. No, it’s much more fluid than that, a lot more challenging, and a lot more fun.All right, so what is a good distinction between leadership and management? As things unfold in this article, you’ll see why this one works:Management is keeping things on track. Leadership is going someplace new.Let’s look at these two ideas and see how they’re different.Management is keeping things on track. Back in the day, railroad engines ran on steam. In the early days, they got that steam by burning wood in a furnace that, in turn, heated water, which created the steam that powered the engine. In the cabin was a conductor who drove the train, and a “fireman” responsible for keeping the furnace stoked with wood. He was also required to keep an eye on the pressure gauge, ensuring it didn’t get too high (and explode) or too low (the train would slow down or even stop). The fireman managed the furnace/boiler to ensure it ran correctly and knew what adjustments to make to keep it that way. Leadership is going someplace new. Let’s stay with trains for this one. Have you ever flown with Southern Pacific Airways? Or Baltimore-Ohio Air? Of course not. You can’t; they don’t exist. But trains used to be the fastest way for passengers to travel around the country. (Southern Pacific and Baltimore-Ohio were passenger train companies.) Not anymore, of course. And when passenger plane service was introduced, it was with new companies. Why not train companies? Why didn’t they introduce air travel so they could keep their valuable (and lucrative) passenger service? Because they saw themselves as train companies. But what if, instead, they had the foresight to imagine themselves in the people-moving business? It would have been natural for them to upgrade their technology (from trains to planes) to stay in the business of passenger travel. Instead, a lack of leadership—the ability to go someplace new—took them completely out of that business. (The passenger train business was completely wiped out, reduced to one publicly subsidized company—Amtrak—operating at a loss each year. And don’t even get me started on how the long-range bus companies suffered the same fate!) Leadership could have brought them into the future. Instead, a lack of leadership (and a key component of it: vision) took them out…for good.So, you manage people and lead them on an interpersonal level. Organizations require strategic leadership to guide them into the future. Which are you (and will you be)? Hopefully, both!

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