Peter Jackson’s superhit movie trilogy based on  J.R. Tolkien’s classic The Lord of the Rings, has as its   central character,  a small hobbit called Frodo who  has been charged with a great responsibility. He has been given the “one ring” of a great and terrible power and is the only one who has the moral courage to destroy it before it falls into the hands of Sauron, the Dark Lord who will use its powers to enslave all of Middle-Earth.

His courage falters and in a moment of utter despair  he wishes that the ring had never come to him and that none of this has happened. However, given the enormity of the responsibility , he takes it on , little though he is and with enormous courage and willpower he is ultimately triumphant and is able to destroy the Ring in the volcano where it was forged. Read More→

Everyone knows or has read about the difference between being a manager and being a leader and yet people seem to confuse the two roles over and over again.  Here is a quote that puts it very succinctly.

Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things. – Peter F.Drucker

In brief, a manager is a person who is charged with preparing and executing a plan for a specified set of tasks. In a  hierarchical context, a manager of people is responsible for the smooth execution of a plan implemented by a team of people. This role is often held by specific people based on their technical or proven skills, knowledge and experience of doing similar tasks themselves.

Leadership , on the other hand , is a role that any one at any level of the organization can exert. This is not a mantle bestowed on a person as rank often is, although in a deteriorating corporate world , this is often perceived to be the case. It is often believed that a person who sets policy, strategic direction and empowers, encourages and enables people to contribute to it, is a corporate Leader. Not true. Read More→