Bob Corlett pointed me to an article by Henry Mintzberg that challenges the distinction between Leadership and Management. He argues that the financial crisis we are experiencing is at least partly due to "leaders" who considered themselves above the nitty gritty of management. By staying above the fray, they miss key messages from the front lines and they end up focusing more externally than internally, and our organizations have paid the price. I like this quote:

America has much rebuilding to do, beyond bailing out its largest, sickest companies. Many businesses will have to be restored as communities, which to my mind means from the middle out, not the top down. Being an engaged leaders means you must be reflective while staying in the fray–the hectic, fragmented, never-ending world of managing. The reward: access to the ideas flowing around you. As Stanford University emeritus professor James G. March put it: "Leadership involves plumbing as well as poetry." Instead of distinguishing leaders from managers, we should encourage all managers to be leaders.

Community. Middle out. Plumbing as well as poetry. This is not consistent with the traditional pyramid view of leadership (leaders are the top of the pyramid). This is consistent with what I have been saying for some time now about leadership as a system capacity, rather than a position on the organizational chart. We need to encourage managers to be leaders because they ARE leaders. And so are front line employees.