Answer to Question #99648 in Management for Vaibhav

Question

Krabi Textile is going online from retail mode as the management feels that it is the need of the hour to be present in the digital space. People are resisting this change and you are the one chosen as the leader by the management to lead in this tough time.
a. What all people skills would be required by a leader to be effective in such times?
b. How would you differentiate between being a manager and leader?

Answer 1

a) Krabi Textile's situation advocates for a risk-taking leader who will focus on shifting online at the face of employee rejections. Moreover, he needs to possess excellent communication skills to succinctly and clearly explain to the workers the organizational goals of shifting online, and the specific tasks that will guide them achieve such goals. He needs to motivate employees to go an extra mile and take new responsibilities. A leader delegates duties to assess the weaknesses and strengths of staff in the new business atmosphere, afterwhich he evaluates their performance and adjust accordingly. Similarly, he should advocate for positivity to ensure that workers enjoy the new working environment. He should be cognitive to conceptualize all eventualities and define responsive measures.

b) A leader inspires and engage people to actualize their visions, while mangers set goals, measure them, and focus on achieving them. A leader is an agent of change such that he innovates better ways of doing things even when the existing ones are working. A manager sticks with working conditions, refine structures and processes. Additionally, leaders take risks to try new courses, while a manager avoid control problems by minimizing risks. Leaders mostly focus on building good relationships to influence people to realize visions, while managers primarily ensure that systems are in place to achieve goals.