Management and Leadership

Management and Leadership

As a Naval Officer I had the opportunity to experience both leadership and management. Today's Navy operates with fewer people and resources than before. Therefore, leadership and management are more important than ever. Very early in my career I was taught leadership and as I advanced through the ranks I experienced management.

There are numerous distinctions between management and leadership. Good managers are sometimes leaders; good leaders are sometimes managers. The distinction is primarily between action and enabling. I see management as a function. Examples of management include, planning, budgeting, evaluating, and facilitating. Examples of leadership include, a relationship, selecting talent, motivating, coaching, and building. Fenton (1990) said, "Leaders are observant and sensitive people. They know their team and develop mutual confidence within it".

Management

Management is the brains of a business. It is where someone has ultimately authority and responsibility for the task but is not necessarily the person executing the task. Management distributes the task to others in the team and act as advisor and facilitator. They establish systems, create rules and operating procedures, and put into place incentive programs. Management is about the business, not always the people. The people are important as a way of getting the job done. Leadership is the heart of a business. Leaders are active in most tasks. They are usually the first to take action. The leader has vision, drive and enthusiasm. The essence of leadership means inspiring a group to come together for a common goal. Leaders motivate, counsel and work with people to keep them bonded and eager to move forward. That...

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... from a letter of appreciation from the manager, a day off, or verbal recognition from managers.

Another recommendation to create and maintain a healthy organizational culture is too have managers and direct supervisor conduct performance counseling on a regular basis. They are many situations in which an individual thinks he's doing a great job, only to find out during his yearly performance evaluation that his manager and or direct supervisor think otherwise. I feel written counseling should be done at least quarterly so individuals can know exactly what their supervisor and manager thinks about their performance and that give them room to improve on performance if needed. This counseling session also gives managers a way to communicate their opinions on work experience and expectations and subordinates the opportunity to share their opinions on the company.