Connecting the dots: Leadership and management

Balancing leadership (the people side) and management (the process side) is a key to success.

Amit B. Singh, president of Edmonds Community College.

Amit B. Singh, president of Edmonds Community College.

By Amit B. Singh for Leadership Snohomish County

Today’s executives must possess top-notch skills in both leadership and management to evolve a business entity from good to great. This is true for nonprofits and businesses. To remain relevant in our rapidly changing, digitally connected world, it’s critical for CEOs to build and sustain connections with their entity’s greatest asset — employees. Balancing the roles of leader and manager can give executives an advantage when it comes to creating a connected company culture. As Peter Drucker defined it, leadership is about people, management is about process.

Leadership is critical and becomes more important as you advance your career, but it’s equally important to continue to stay involved at the management level. Many leaders tend to focus on the strategy of running a company but fail to remain engaged at the implementation level. If you want to be successful, you need to be hands-on. Being hands-on means checking in with employees from time to time, helping to remove any obstacles and providing needed resources. The difference between being hands-on and micromanaging is that being hands-on is assisting with the “what,” while micromanaging is dictating the “how.” Being hands-on is how leaders bring their strategies to fruition.

“Before people decide what they think of your message, they decide what they think of you.” This is a simple but powerful statement from “Connect, Then Lead,” a Harvard Business Review article that resonates with my views on leadership and management. If leaders want their employees to champion and invest in their vision, they must connect with employees first. It’s imperative to be visible. Take time to step out of your office and meeting rooms to connect with employees. For me, that means taking regular walks around the Edmonds Community College campus to stop and talk with employees and students, learn more about them and their work, and answer questions. It’s important to acknowledge their individual contributions and how all of us working together will make our vision possible. Additionally, I hold regular town hall meetings for employees and periodically send out newsletters in an effort to be transparent and keep our campus and community informed.

You can also expand your reach and connection by broadening your leadership team. The idea is to bring more of your company’s leaders together more often to discuss common goals and vision. At Edmonds, I hold weekly meetings with the President’s Leadership Team, which includes 10 of my top executives, and with the College Leadership Team (CLT) every two months. The CLT includes about 50 employees who are at the director level and above. I created the CLT with the goal of having college leadership hear directly from me about goals, priorities and expectations. It’s also dedicated time that we can spend discussing various in-progress and new initiatives, removing barriers to student success, and building a stronger team.

Keeping a balance between leadership (the people side) and management (the process side) is not easy, but if you can master both, you will be able to move your company and its employees forward.

Amit B. Singh is president of Edmonds Community College and a supporter of Leadership Snohomish County, a local organization that connects, ignites and develops leaders to strengthen our communities. To learn more about Leadership Snohomish County, visit www.leadershipsc.org.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

2025 Emerging Leader Anthony Hawley (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Anthony Hawley: Creating friendships and filling pantries

Since 2021, Hawley has increased donations to Lake Stevens Community Food Bank through fundraising and building donor relationships.

2025 Emerging Leader Megan Kemmett (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Megan Kemmett: Seeking solutions to any problem or obstacle

Executive director of Snohomish Community Food Bank overcomes obstacles to keep people fed.

2025 Emerging Leader DeLon Lewis (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
DeLon Lewis: Helping students succeed

Program specialist for Everett Community College believes leadership is about building bridges.

(Image from Pexels.com)
The real estate pros you need to know: Top 3 realtors in Snohomish County

Buying or selling? These experts make the process a breeze!

Relax Mind & Body Massage (Photo provided by Sharon Ingrum)
Celebrating the best businesses of the year in Snohomish County.

Which local businesses made the biggest impact this year? Let’s find out.

Construction contractors add exhaust pipes for Century’s liquid metal walls at Zap Energy on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County becomes haven for green energy

Its proximity to Boeing makes the county an ideal hub for green companies.

A closing sign hangs above the entrance of the Big Lots at Evergreen and Madison on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Big Lots announces it will shutter Everett and Lynnwood stores

The Marysville store will remain open for now. The retailer reported declining sales in the first quarter of the year.

George Montemor poses for a photo in front of his office in Lynnwood, Washington on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.  (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Despite high mortgage rates, Snohomish County home market still competitive

Snohomish County homes priced from $550K to $850K are pulling in multiple offers and selling quickly.

Henry M. Jackson High School’s robotic team, Jack in the Bot, shake hands at the 2024 Indiana Robotics Invitational.(Henry M. Jackson High School)
Mill Creek robotics team — Jack in the Bot — wins big

Henry M. Jackson High School students took first place at the Indiana Robotic Invitational for the second year in a row.

The computer science and robotics and artificial intelligence department faculty includes (left to right) faculty department head Allison Obourn; Dean Carey Schroyer; Ishaani Priyadarshini; ROBAI department head Sirine Maalej and Charlene Lugli. PHOTO: Arutyun Sargsyan / Edmonds College.
Edmonds College to offer 2 new four-year degree programs

The college is accepting applications for bachelor programs in computer science as well as robotics and artificial intelligence.

Rick Steves speaks at an event for his new book, On the Hippie Trail, on Thursday, Feb. 27 at Third Place Books in Lake Forest, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Travel guru won’t slow down

Rick Steves is back to globetrotting and promoting a new book after his cancer fight.

FILE — Boeing 737 MAX8 airplanes on the assembly line at the Boeing plant in Renton, Wash., on March 27, 2019. Boeing said on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, that it was shaking up the leadership in its commercial airplanes unit after a harrowing incident last month during which a piece fell off a 737 Max 9 jet in flight. (Ruth Fremson/The New York Times)
Federal judge rejects Boeing’s guilty plea related to 737 Max crashes

The plea agreement included a fine of up to $487 million and three years of probation.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.