Are you the Farmboy or the Pirate?

Wesley the Farmboy

Wesley*, the narrator explains, is merely a farmboy. As a farmboy, he is useful only to care for the horses, cut the firewood, and fetch the things. He manages the process of woodcutting and fetching and husbandry while the beautiful maiden, Buttercup, simultaneously manages him! Then, he seems to drop from the story, walking away while promising to return when he can provide a better future for Buttercup.

Wesley’s journey to leadership

When next we meet Wesley, he has become the Dread Pirate Roberts—fearsome in his demeanor, skilled with the sword, astutely intelligent, and sought out for strategy, character, and courage. He influences all around him, whether friend or foe. In short, he has returned as a leader extraordinaire.

Wait a minute! Aren’t management and leadership the same?

The story of the two Wesleys clearly illustrates the difference between one who manages and one who leads. The two terms are often used interchangeably; however, while the good leader will utilize tools from the managerial toolchest, the two disciplines are separate. Farmboy Wesley is a manager, who ensures that his"doings" are done well. Wesley’s woodcutting is make more efficient with a sharpened axe; the horses are managed with set feedings and an exercise routine. In Leadership vs. Management: What's the difference?, Professor Fuller explains that management is “accomplish[ing] a common purpose on a regular, recurring basis" and "task-oriented and procedure-focused." The manager does not seek to inspire being but doing. There is no doubt that management is a much-needed discipline. For instance, had Baron von Steuben not come to manage the Continental Army’s training for Gen Washington, Americans might be having tea and crumpets daily at 4 p.m.! However, management can only take an organization so far.

Leadership is what is needed to focus an organization beyond mere effective and efficient operations and onto the more important human beings accomplishing those operations. Antoinette Griffin discovered this for herself. Certain she was leading flawlessly, an honest evaluation from her team showed otherwise. She had been focused on the operations; the team wanted her to focus on their development. This enlightenment started her on a journey of self-discovery* where she found that when the people are taken care of, the job is, as well. Again, our hero, Wesley, having become the Dread Pirate Roberts, aptly illustrates this truth. His pirate ship dutifully awaits his return, eager to follow him into the fray. Having been tortured until "only mostly dead," Wesley is resurrected because Inigo Montoya needs his strategic brain! Fezzik the Giant takes on 30 armed men because of Wesley’s influential leadership. Leaders inspire followers because the followers know the leader cares about them and their development. In the same article mentioned above, Dr. Kotter insists that this caring shows itself in three ways: vision, change, and empowerment. Wesley casts a glorious vision for the future, empowers his people, and sets them free. In the end, his leadership results in a fulfilled vision of true love and justice!

Conclusion

Management and leadership are not two sides of a coin, but, in fact, two very different disciplines. Both are vital to the health of an organization, but only actual leadership moves the organization out of the status quo and advances the mission in a meaningful way.

So, are you the Farmboy or the Pirate? Click the arrow to discover your identity!

*Wesley, Buttercup, and other characters mentioned are part of the movie, The Princess Bride.

*John Maxwell's Five Levels of Leadership lays out a plan for moving from management to being the kind of respected leader the team wants to follow into battle.