Walking the Fine Line

Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall. 
            -Stephen Covey 

There is such a fine line between leadership and management and it takes time to learn and be able to distinguish between the two. I consider myself to be a good leader and will admit that there are many times where I find myself questioning this very concept. This quote is one of my favorites because so many individuals want to be a leader but so many of them think that leading is carried out by taking control and “telling others how to climb the ladder.” The best leaders are the ones who approach an opportunity, help give the input how to do a task, and then help others in accomplishing something that holds meaning for them. I great leader can be ‘great’ just by validating what another individual is doing; it does not necessarily take the action of physically doing the task for others. Leadership is full of cooperation, creative thinking, confidence, flexibility, and the ability to know when enough is enough. Without these qualities it is rather hard to oneself, let alone others.

Personally, I take pride in my ability to manage my time and contribute to many things. I may not be able to always be the ‘leader’ but that is fine with me. I take so much enjoyment from being involved in numerous things and if was trying to ‘lead’ all of those activities I would not succeed and would be forced to give some of them up. This goes back to knowing when enough is enough. A good leader needs to be able to decipher when their leadership is needed and when it is most appropriate to let others take the lead. I am a double major with three jobs. Needless to say, time is a little short in my book. By taking leadership in some of the things I do and letting the leadership go to someone else in other things I am able to maintain a doable schedule and still have time to volunteer. I have a passion for everything I do and I owe my ability to do all of these things to my specific leadership qualities.

Kay Honeycutt