Leadership and Management
Neil Jurd OBE explains the different between leadership and management and why you and your organisation need to have the right balance of both.
With Neil Jurd OBE
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What's this video about?
In this short talk Neil Jurd describes the essential differences between leadership and management, emphasising the importance of balancing both in high-performing organisations. He defines leadership as the ability to achieve goals that cannot be accomplished alone by engaging others intellectually and emotionally towards a clear and compelling purpose. Neil explains how a good leader must excel in motivating and bringing out the best in people, and therefore inspire hard work and creativity.
Despite this, Neil explains that management is vital for handling resources such as money, vehicles, buildings, and time. Effective management ensures that procedures are followed, inspections are passed, and accounts are filed, maintaining stability and safety of the organisation. He highlights that while leadership focuses on people, management deals with resources.
Neil states that a balanced approach between leadership and management is vital. Effective management makes people feel secure, knowing their equipment is well-maintained and salaries are on time. On the other hand, strong leadership inspires creativity and extra effort. However, if the balance is incorrect this can be catastrophic: weak management leads to chaos and risk, whereas overly strong management stifles innovation, taking away peoples purpose.
Neil relates this balance to a Space Shuttle Mission, where the leadership role of launching a crew into space is only possible due to management behind the scenes, including budgeting, logistics, and routine maintenance. He states that both leadership and management are essential for sustained high performance, creating conditions that allow people to achieve more.
The talk concludes with Neil encouraging you to reflect on whether your own organisations have achieved this balance between leadership and management.
