Management and leadership are viewed as two different perspectives in the business environment. As described by Dr. Warren Bennis ‘Managers are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do the right thing’, this means that managers do things by the set rules and follow company policy, while leaders follow their own intuition, which may in turn be of more benefit to the company.
The phrase “leader” versus “manager.” is used to show and compere how Leading is related to managing, Bennis and Nanus (1985:21) help us understand the broader role of supervision in their discussion of management and leadership: “To be a manager is to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of, responsibility for, to conduct. Leading, on the other hand, is influencing, guiding in direction, course, action, opinion.” They go on to say that managers are people who “do things right,” and leaders are people who “do the right things.” Managers are more efficiency driven and focus on mastering routine activities, while leaders are driven by vision and judgment. Managers tend to be bean counters, while leaders focus on achieving desired results.
My definition of leadership is being able to follow your ambitions and desires without worrying about any consequences. Supporting this statement would be because managers and leaders have similar qualities such as being responsible, flexible, and have good communication. Though the difference between them is that managers tend to be consistent and keep things in order without any changes but a leader tend to create for the future and motivate others to accomplish what is set out for the future. In order for this to be accomplished the leader must have great motive and purpose in what they are doing. This means you have to take initiative to make changes instead of be consistent and stay the same, when staying consistent that means the leader is falling into the management category.
It seems leadership and management are used often in articles or conversations to mean the “same” style or same individual when using leader versus manager. However, there are just as many articles or conversations where there is a drastic difference between the two. I believe it could be seen as confusing because many individuals use both styles. The individual has to observe his or her followers, realize the work environment and have a clear understanding of the vision for the goal. Nevertheless, there are individuals who do
My opinion is the difference I see between the leaders and the managers is that one is
Not all managers are leaders. There are managers that are not effective leaders, just as there are leaders that do not have a clue how to manage. Typically, a manager denotes a position whereas a leader can be someone who simply influences regardless of title or position. Warren Bennis, a pioneer in leadership studies explains that managers “do things right” and leaders “do the right thing” (Bennis, 1982). Managers have a fiduciary relationship normally requiring them to ensure the process or routine is maintained. Where managers produce
I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corp in 2002, and was promoted through the ranks quickly assuming the role of a leader. At the age of 19, I had pinned on Corporal (E-4), and embarked on my on-the-job training in leadership. Spending time with the Marines prior to being promoted, I knew their personalities, strengths and weaknesses, and what motivated them. Reassuring that "if I 'm going to have followers then I better interact with them well and know what 's going on with them" (BMAL 500 Audio Lecture Series). Therefore, I had an early advantage in "the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals" (Robbins & Judge, 2009, p. 385). The basis of my leadership was the rank on my collar and that my higher command believed I was a good Marine and competent to
The first trait that displays a great connection to my strengths is enthusiasm. I believe that the trait of enthusiasm is when a person displays excitement and positivity toward their task. Scott Lilienfeld mentions that the most well-known public and political leaders have an enthusiasm trait. He also mentions that successful political leaders show this trait because they are the face of politics and without their positive and excitement towards their task, they wouldn’t not become great leaders that thousands of people follow (Lilienfeld, 2012). I believe this relates well to my strengths such as being futuristic and focusing because political leaders don’t only focus on the present, they focus on the future. In order to focus on the future, you must have these strengths that I have been given via the assessment. In another study by Moursa Khaireddin, he talks about leadership and leadership style in branch manages of banks at the Hashemite Kingdom in Jordan. Most of the traits in this article focus on the fear of being a great leader but he mentions a positive trait dominance. He describes the required skill in branch managers by saying that many mangers fail because fail to keep dominating (competition) as the number one focus (Khaireddin, 2015). The trait that appears to require in order to succeed in management can be
Many people believe that managers and leaders are one in the same. However, this is not true. If you are put in a position above subordinates it does not mean you carry the same traits that a leader does. Both managers and leaders are crucial to a company’s success. However, they do not provide the same skill set and differ in several areas.
Improving upon these traits can assist me not only in the workplace, but volunteer settings, university, or even my own personal environment. Knowing how to utilize these skills can boost my own personal confidence, as well as those around me, showing the importance of leadership in every-day life. This proves leadership is often transmitted through experience and practice, making it of value to demonstrate these qualities in every aspect in life. I can recall a situation in which I could have stepped up and lead an activity through my volunteer practicum at the SCRI society The Club, however I was not confident enough in my own abilities. I ended up regretting not leading the activity, which could have led to a possible position within the club, and often reflect on how I could have improved my leadership skills at that time to achieve my goal. Moving forward this will encourage me to improve upon such skills, and promote a better desire to understand what it is to be a
I believe I have a strong resolve and a good sense of purpose. I am reliable and consistent in my behaviour, which I believe makes a good leader great.
For me to be an effective leader, I must first evaluate my strengths. I took the Gallup 2.0 Strength Finder report which showed my strengths in an insight and action planning guide. The results indicated the top five themes for me were input, learner, responsibility, maximizer and arranger. I believe the evaluation offered an accurate assessment of my strengths. The input theme states my mind is like a sponge, soaking up information. As a lifelong learner, the second theme is also, correct. I have a quest for knowledge about things that interest me. I am responsible, in my job and life. As a maximizer, I focus on long term goals and strive toward excellence. As a nurse, working in an environment of change, the arranger strength in my personality allows me to adapt easily and figure out the best way to accomplish tasks (Strengths, 2012).
Presently many of us have learned that managers are primarily administrators who have learned to write business plans, utilize their resources and keep track of progress. We must learn that we are not limited by job title, and that means we can utilize our management skills in any position that we are in. We must also know that we can use our leadership skills in the same situations. On the other hand we have also learned that leaders are people who have an impact on those that surround them. The main difference that separates these two roles is that management is a function that must be utilized in any type of business, and leadership is the relationship that the leader has with his followers, which in turn can motivate and energize the organization.
Citing James MacGregor Burns the difference between the manager and leader is that manager is more “One who conducts business affairs with economy – with efficiency” and the Leader: “One who goes before to guide or show the way”
The method of leadership is almost as similar as management, and a leader can be a manager. “Both management and leadership are seen as positions of responsibility or accountability in an organization” (Edwards, Schedlitzki, Turnbull, & Gill, 2015). Leadership and management can relate and overlap within the roles and functions and are similar within one another in meaning. Together leadership and management direct the actions of a group or individually.