Should We Expect Leadership from Managers?
The short answer is: not always.
Robert Heller in his famous Effective Leadership, makes the distinction clear. Managers aren’t necessarily leaders. And leaders don’t always hold the title of manager.
I first picked up Heller’s book in a mall in Salmiya, Kuwait. What stood out immediately was this breakdown:
Leaders
- Originate
- Develop
- Inspire trust
- Think long term
- Ask what and why
- Challenge the status quo
- Do the right thing
- Implement
- Maintain
- Control
- Think short term
- Ask how and when
- Accept the status quo
- Do things right
Leadership isn’t about title—it’s about behavior. One core trait: mentoring. A true leader lifts others up. If your manager does that, great. If not, find someone who will. Or read the book.
Heller doesn’t just contrast roles. He outlines what good management should look like:
- Motivate and empower teams
- Train people to meet high standards
- Communicate in all directions
- Use coaching as both teaching and mentoring
He also offers questions leaders should regularly ask themselves:
- Am I clear with my team?
- Does everyone know their role?
- Are my goals ambitious enough?
The most effective leaders I’ve seen adapt their style. They build openness. They care. They lead with the team, not just over it.
That’s rare in many organizations. In some companies—especially in the private IT sector in Pakistan—bureaucratic management still dominates. Heller’s advice? Pay attention to people’s emotions when promoting. It matters more than it seems.
This reminds me of my time working with Shariq Mirza, a mentor I once met in person. Despite working offshore, I learned more from our calls, emails, and chats than from years on-site with others. Leadership doesn’t need proximity—it needs intention.
He taught me the “green-light/red-light” method for requirement gathering. The importance of covering your team. Why communication is non-negotiable.
Here’s the truth: teams break when communication breaks. A few early signs:
- Trust erodes
- People stop talking
- Feedback disappears
- Managers retreat
- Recognition vanishes
All of these trace back to the same root cause: a manager who’s absent—physically or emotionally. Someone who doesn’t mentor, doesn’t train, doesn’t show up.
You can’t fix that with process. You fix it with leadership.
A while back, a resignation email from a UI developer at Mahalo.com went viral. The back-and-forth with Jason Calacanis stirred debate. William Shields (aka cletus on StackOverflow) chimed in. It’s worth a search if you want the details. But the message is the same: communication builds—or breaks—teams.
So: should managers be leaders?
Not by default.
But if you are one, you should try.
