Business schools and boardrooms across Canada love to talk about leadership—vision, disruption, transformation. But look around, and you’ll see a different kind of crisis playing out in organizations large and small.
It’s not a leadership crisis. It’s a management crisis.
We don’t lack ambition. We lack follow-through.
Years ago, Canadian management thinker Henry Mintzberg warned that separating “leaders” from “managers”—and placing leaders on a pedestal—was a dangerous mistake. He argued that management isn’t just a second-tier support role. It’s foundational.
Today, his insight is more relevant than ever.
We’ve spent decades glorifying the idea of the visionary leader. But visions don’t implement themselves. Strategies don’t execute on their own. AI integration plans and hybrid work policies, for example, all demand something far less glamorous but far more essential: competent, disciplined management.
Without it, the gap between what’s promised and what’s delivered just keeps growing.
In our culture, leadership is inspiring. It’s stage lights and social media posts. Management, meanwhile, is still unfairly painted as bureaucratic drudgery—task lists, spreadsheets, accountability charts.
But this caricature misses the point.
Management is what ensures the kids get fed, teeth brushed and to school on time. It’s not glamorous, but it’s what keeps the wheels turning. It’s what allows good intentions to become real-world results.
In today’s economy, that matters more than ever.
So what does great management look like in real life?
Let’s skip the jargon. There are three timeless but often undervalued skills.
First, good managers plan clearly. Leadership may set the destination, but management maps the route. In today’s complex world—supply chain disruptions, talent shortages, new technology, regulatory pressures—planning isn’t optional.
Want to make electric vehicles a bigger part of Canada’s manufacturing mix? Want to ensure First Nations communities have real economic opportunities? Someone has to plan—not just hope—for how those things happen.
That someone is a manager.
Second, good managers follow through. We’ve all seen strategic plans that go nowhere. Grand public-sector missions that die in committee. Bold corporate goals that stall after the media release.
Good management means execution. It means saying, “Here’s what needs to happen this week.” It means holding people accountable without fear or favour. It’s gritty, often thankless work, but without it, nothing gets done.
Third, good managers build commitment. Contrary to the cliché, good managers aren’t cold taskmasters. They’re deeply human. They get to know their people. They calibrate expectations. They know when to push and when to back off.
They don’t need to be charismatic. But they do need to be present, fair and relentlessly focused on team success.
Importantly, they don’t try to be the hero. They make space for others to shine, then move on to the next milestone.
In an economy dealing with slow growth, rising costs and productivity lag such as in Canada, we can’t afford to confuse inspiration with impact. We don’t need more thought leaders spouting theories online or keynote speakers waxing poetic about purpose.
We need more people who say: “What’s the plan? Who’s doing what? How do we make it real?”
That’s management. And we don’t have enough of it.
If our institutions—from Crown corporations to startups—want to thrive, not just talk about thriving, they need to invest in developing managing leaders. The kind Mintzberg envisioned. People who inspire and execute. People who still believe getting things done is a noble calling.
Because it is.
We’ve overcorrected. In chasing leadership, we’ve forgotten how to manage. It’s time to bring management back into the spotlight, without the bonuses or the branding, just with the respect it deserves.
Business doesn’t need more leaders right now. It needs more great managers.
Rebecca Schalm, PhD, is founder and CEO of Strategic Talent Advisors Inc., a consultancy that provides organizations with advice and talent management solutions.
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