It is often said that as people move up the career ladder, they need to make the jump from being a manager to a leader. That premise suggests some sort of mystical transformation that happens when people are promoted to more senior roles. During the ACT Annual Conference in May, in a session on leadership versus management, panellists and conference delegates shared some of their views on this assumption and what they thought the difference between leaders and managers is. The conclusions were that management covers qualities and attributes such as: getting things done, marshalling resources, being task-focused, informing others and delegating tasks. Leadership, on the other hand, was thought to be more around: influencing others towards a common goal, being visionary, acting strategically, inspiring people and setting expectations.
Being a great leader can be hugely fulfilling as well as highly beneficial to the organisation
Often, these roles are seen as mutually exclusive, but in reality, there is far more of a blurring of the lines as different circumstances pull on all aspects of these roles during a working week. We don’t wake up one morning and think, “Today I’m going to be a leader!” Our panel debate certainly reinforced this, drawing on the fact that treasurers wear many hats, as well as personality and individual strengths having an influence on style. Of course, reality is much more nuanced than a binary difference between leadership and management. In the early stages of a management career, a team leader, for instance, will need a blend of management and leadership traits, but with an emphasis on management activities. As an individual rises to middle-management level, this blend becomes more equally balanced. Reaching senior management, the bias will then tilt towards leadership traits, with less focus on management. What is leadership? The challenge in the conference workshop was in truly defining what makes a good leader. Even identifying role models can be tricky and we often look to the outside world for inspiration with famous characters springing to mind, such as Gandhi. Research carried out by the UK government with the Chartered Management Institute, Inspirational Leadership – Insight to Action, asked more than 2,600 individuals across a range of UK companies about facets that would inspire them to follow a leader. They identified four dimensions of inspirational leadership:
These dimensions were then broken down into a further 18 attributes. For instance, a leader adept at ‘creating the future’ will be able to describe the future and have the ability to inspire others to help create it. They will be capable of building legacies that outlive their own tenure as leaders. Leaders who have that ‘enthusing, growing and appreciating others’ dimension will have a positive mental attitude that rubs off on others. They will be keen to celebrate success and develop other people. They will clarify values not just by repeating them, but by clearly acting on them, and they will achieve success by showing themselves to adopt new ideas and projects, showing an ability to take risks and break down barriers – see the table below for details on this, and more: 
Acting on these qualities and putting them into practice does require a degree of self-knowledge, however. “If you don’t understand yourself, you don’t understand anybody else.” US writer and activist Nikki Giovanni speaks a home truth here. One of our panellists shared the work they had done within their company to develop leadership skills and referred to the role of self-awareness in leadership. If a leader truly is to enthuse, grow and appreciate others and act as a people champion, it is essential that they understand their strengths and development areas. The panellist shared that they had used a useful model to help self-reflection called the Johari Window. Developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham (Jo and Hari for short), it helps leaders to understand what they know about themselves and what others know about them. This can cover thoughts and feelings, life experiences, knowledge and behaviours. Here is the model that they devised: 
As you can see, the matrix consists of four different boxes. Box 1 explains that there are things that are known to you and others that are ‘out in the open’. This is the most visible ‘you’ on display to others. Box 2 then describes that everyone will have ‘blind areas’, ie things that you are not aware of about yourself, but that others can see in you. Box 3 shows that there are things that you will know about yourself, but which you deliberately withhold from others. Finally, Box 4 explains that there are things about you that neither you nor others know or recognise. By using this model, it is possible to start to explore yourself and how you interact with others. The aim is to make Box 1, your open and free area, as large as possible. This creates an environment that is the most productive, where communication is open and transparent, which in turn builds trust and cooperation, and removes ambiguity and misunderstanding. It addresses many of the leadership attributes identified by employees as being critical in the research cited above. Turning attention to Box 2, the blind area, the aim is to seek to reduce this quadrant. Typically, those who describe themselves as ‘thick-skinned’ tend to have a large blind area. The key here, for individuals using this approach, is to ask others for feedback: individuals typically can’t discover blind spots on their own. As a leader, encouraging an environment of sharing in your team and playing an active part in this can break down worries about self-disclosure. It also helps build leadership traits identified earlier, such as the ability to build teams and demonstrate adaptability in social terms. People who seem a bit distant or secretive, or who spend a lot of time in their own world, can sometimes have a significant hidden area (Box 3). If leaders don’t share, if they keep a large part of themselves hidden, they can be perceived as having hidden intentions or disguising their thoughts and feelings, and even come across as inauthentic to colleagues. Leaders play an important role in creating a culture or environment where people are not afraid to share. Fear of being judged can hamper self-disclosure, so the way a leader reacts to sharing, or how vulnerable they are prepared to make themselves, can have a real impact. Box 4 represents the most complex area within this model. Sometimes aspects of an individual’s behaviour or personality can remain deeply hidden from everyone, including oneself. Leaders who come across as solitary can often be a mystery to both themselves and their team. However, these mysteries can include repressed feelings, deep-seated fears and behaviours conditioned from early life, as well as talents that have yet to be discovered. Working on this area and opening this box needs to be treated with great caution. Individuals and organisations using this approach need to be ready for what may emerge.
Being a great leader can be hugely fulfilling as well as highly beneficial to the organisation you work in, and knowing what makes a great leader is the first step in that development. Here are some pointers for how you can hone your leadership skills:
Take a look at the ACT Competency Framework to see the leadership and soft skills standards for treasurers Visit the ACT careers hub – free for all members While you are in the hub, explore the following areas:
Get yourself a mentor – free of charge for members through the ACT’s Mentor Me scheme
Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher, former director of professional standards and learning, ACT.
This article was taken from the The Treasurer magazine. For more great insights, log in to view the full issue or sign up for eAffiliate membership