The qualities which enable a manager to develop into a leader

Introduction
The ICE considers these leadership qualities important for professional engineers.
ICE 2001 states:
As a member you will have the leadership skills to plan, manage and direct the
human, material and financial resources required to solve complex problems, often in
multi-disciplinary teams
Review Criteria you have demonstrated qualities of vision and leadership; are
observant, articulate and clear thinking and can inspire confidence.
To progress to CEng it is necessary to identify these qualities in order to develop
them.

So what is the difference between a manager and a leader?

Managers do things right, leaders do the right thing (Richard Pascale, Managing on
the Edge).

Discussion
Define some key attributes of managers/leaders
Managers

Leaders

Administer
Maintain
Focus on systems and structure
Control
Ask how and when
Optimise use of resources

Innovate
Develop
Focus on people
Inspire trust
Ask what and why
Win hearts and minds

Some examples of leaders

Political Arthur Scargill / Margaret Thatcher
Business Clive Sinclair / Richard Branson
Personal Experience Richard Deacon / John Stannion

What makes these people leaders? A number of qualities, some unique, some
common to all. It is these common traits that we are interested in.
Eg

A vision they are not bound by accepted practices/beliefs

the ability to communicate that vision to others
the ability to transfer his/her belief to others (followers)
They inspire confidence in others
They are a focal point

From this we can identify how these qualities can be developed.

Having the vision to work outside accepted practices is not an easy quality to
develop, and is (unfortunately?) not often encouraged at more junior staff levels. At
this level it should be a priority to understand why actions are taken, such as
understanding the basis for design codes.
Communication skills can be developed more easily through appropriate training and
applying the lessons learnt. Not only writing/presentation skills, but also people
skills/emotional intelligence.
Promoting belief in our ideas and inspiring confidence in others are tied. No one will
follow a leader they have no confidence in. The leader must gain respect from
followers, and also give respect. The leader must be confident, have good judgement,
and deliver successful outcomes. He/she should take responsibility for the team.
Supporting and developing the skills of the team. Knows when to break the rules, and
takes on responsibility. Many of these roles again involve the so-called softer skills.
A leader provides a focus for followers. He/she must act as a problem solver and a
communication centre. A leader should encourage and develop creative thinking, and
can inspire other potential leaders. A leader therefore must have good problem
solving skills, but doesnt necessarily have to be an expert in the field (cabinet
ministers, CEOs). Engineering as a discipline encourages logical problem solving.
Once again, to act as the communication centre, the leader must possess people
skills being able to empathise with and inspire trust and confidence in their followers.

Conclusion
A number of leadership qualities have been identified. Some of these, such as
problem solving and challenging accepted practice would be developed as good
engineering skills during an engineering career.
Far more of these qualities are not engineering specific; to become a leader requires
emotional intelligence. These skills are used in an engineering environment, but
should be given more focus to allow a manager to become a leader.