Why is it more Important to Conduct instead of Direct?

As mentioned earlier, if I break a CORE Competency or do something wrong the entire staff will know about it before the end of the workday.  But if I do my job right, no one will even know I was there.  This is just one of the realities of Managing from the Heart.  If you are a person who needs recognition for a “job well done” then this book is not for you.

Recognition is not the reason we Manage from the Heart; neither is adoration, ego, or pride.  We Manage from the Heart simply because treating others with understanding, respect, and dignity is the right thing to do.  The best way to honor one’s self is to honor others.  My reward comes from watching others overcome difficulties, develop their potential, and excel, and knowing that I had some small helping part in their growth as a human being.  To be of service, to make a difference, to matter; this is the true reward of Managing from the Heart.

In Managing from the Heart, we learn to utilize the power which comes from conducting the process, not directing the process.  The manager who directs the process will continually be required to oversee his or her personnel.  But the manager who conducts the process establishes an atmosphere in which inspired and self-motivated personnel perpetuate the process.

Definition:  Direct vs. Conduct

Direct:

1) to give authoritative instructions to; command; order or ordain;  2) to regulate the course of; control.  3) to channel or focus toward a given result, object, or end.  (Logistical)

Conduct:

1)  personal behavior; way of acting; bearing or deportment;  2) the act of conducting; guidance; escort;  3) to behave or manage (oneself);  4) to lead or guide; escort.  (Transformative)

Historically, managers direct both staff and operations.  They are more concerned with their position than they are with staff.  This is a logistical philosophy in which the manager’s primary concern is his own corporate success.  These individuals can make a huge difference on a company’s bottom line, but they will work much harder than they really need to and they will step on and hurt a lot of people along the way.

(concept #33)

If you want to be a manager – then direct.

If you want to manage – then conduct.

Managers from the Heart don’t direct – they conduct.  More concerned with the process than their position, they view their staff as a finely tuned orchestra and themselves as the conductor.  Each staff member is a finely tuned instrument designed to deliver the precise effect at just the appropriate moment.  A conductor doesn’t punish, reprimand, or replace and instrument when it gets out of tune.  They help the musician fine tune the instrument and recapture the melody.  The musician will then accomplish the desired result at just the right moment.

More concerned with quality than quantity, a Manager from the Heart diligently, but lovingly, conducts the entire orchestra to synchronize each instrument in harmony to produce a unique creation.  By enabling each member to do what they do best, the conductor oversees the process, conducting overall effectivity to reach concert pitch.

Definition:

Concert: agreement of two or more individuals in a design or plan; combined action; to plan or act together in accord or harmony.

Concert pitch: a high state of fitness, eagerness, tension, or readiness.

Each member of the orchestra, or staff, works individually to collectively produce a masterpiece.  This creates a finished product, which becomes infinitely greater than the sum of its parts.

Each instrument relies on the direction of the conductor, who coordinates the individual talents to produce the desired result.  Sitting in the horn section, one hears mostly horns.  Sitting in the drum section, one hears mostly drums.  Only the conductor, standing in front of all, can effectively hear, evaluate, and refine the quality, which will create a masterpiece.  This is transformative and this is what Managing from the Heart is all about.

If you want to manage – then conduct.

As the definition states, to conduct is to manage oneself in bearing, behavior, and deportment in an effort to lead or guide with effectivity.  A conductor is a leader, a guide, but most of all, a conductor is an example.  When personnel embrace the concept of “Open Heaven,” they discover potential within themselves and develop a desire to manage themselves.  They do this only when they feel safe to trust their leadership.

– excerpt from “The Manager as Engineer of the Work Environment