Management and Leadership - One in The Same?

Management and Leadership – Is There a Difference?

Certainly there is! While management and leadership should fundamentally go hand-in-hand and complement one another, they are two very separate approaches. A manager is an individual who has people that do work for him/her in efforts to maintain productivity within systems and structure. The manager assigns tasks and gives instruction to be adhered to – he/she is in control. The leader, on the other hand, motivates and inspires trust in people. The leader is innovative and encourages people to take a long-term approach and alter perspectives in ways where the bottom line is not the main concern. A leader is followed and is not a carbon copy. The main differences between management and leadership are that within management, there is little to no room for freedom of expression or choice for the subordinate. With leadership, discovering other ways and views are both encouraged and welcomed. Management tells the people while leadership guides the people.

In order to be most effective in an organizational setting, you cannot have one without the other. A great manager must be a great leader; and a great leader must be a superb manager of people. A successful person of power must be able to instruct and lead his/her team to success and alignment with his/her vision for the company or team.