That’s what the management textbooks say, and it’s been practised for decades.
But if you look deeper, results are just a consequence. Processes are just a tool that people come up with on their own, without a manager. And people don’t really allow themselves to be ‘led’, they need a space where they can really use their potential and fulfil themselves without anyone telling them to.
Each of us leaves a mark – a mark on the inner world of others. Including the driver. But the mark is not made by orders or meetings, but by the mood he or she creates, the meaning he or she carries and creates, and the space he or she creates for people. Or, in short, whether and what it means for him to be HUMAN, with human virtues, values, intentions and integrity.
Perhaps the manager does NOT manage processes, results or people.
A leader creates:
📍 Mood – a leader’s energy and presence creates a field of influence that affects everyone. When you’re energized as a leader, it spreads faster than any Excel file.
📍 Meaning – people don’t work for money or KPIs. When they understand why their contribution matters, commitment is born. First, of course, this requires the leader to understand what leadership means to them.
📍 Space – an atmosphere where you can get lost, ask questions and genuinely think with a sense of security and trust. It is in this space that igniting ideas and intentions are born and potential is expressed, and 1+1 is more than 2.
A leader is an influencer, and influence goes much deeper than submitting to control and rules and creating a subordinate-leader relationship.
The influencer makes people bring out their potential and live it, because they are inspired by the idea of being human, to be … more alive.
