Managers versus leaders, are they different, similar or a little bit of both? While taking this course it has become more apparent that although the two roles may be different, for a manager both roles go hand in hand as a good manager must be a good leader as well. Leaders on the other hand do not need to be managers, they can emerge from all levels throughout an organization. Reading an article from Business insider I found a quote that put it best for these two roles. “You can be a manager and a leader at the same time, but just because you’re a phenomenal leader doesn’t guarantee you’ll be a great manager, and vise-versa” (http://www.businessinsider.com/3-things-that-separate-leaders-from-managers-2012-9, Giang, V Sep112012).
Managers and leaders differentiate between that of their roles, and in a way, their styles of going about accomplishing tasks. Going through a multitude of sites it has been a very common theme of being stated, managers ask “how” and “when”, while leaders ask “what” and “why.” On the following site: (http://www.skillsyouneed.com/lead/leader-vs-manager.html), both styles’ roles are broken down into seven descriptions involving a mixture of their roles, duties, and responsibilities. Managers are said to administer, maintain, focus on systems and structure, control systems and people, accept the way things are, have a short-range view, and manage tasks. Leaders on the other hand innovate, develop, focus on people and emotions, inspire people, challenge the way things are, have a long-range perspective, and lead people. Looking at those seven descriptions of each it is very clear that both do in fact differ from each other. A caveat, it is also clear to see how for a manager both styles can intertwine, a...
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... develop both. Personally, my belief is that you must learn and develop the qualities and beliefs of a great leader first. Once accomplishing that and establishing a basis, I believe you can then begin to develop and grasp what it takes to be a great manager. People may say this is not always the case, and that managers can develop those leadership traits once installed into a managerial position and that is their belief, everyone looks and takes on things in different ways. Remember it is your opinion and you who is solely responsible for your path as you develop through the business industry! Potential managers and leaders which would you like to see yourself surcome to first? Would you rather develop great leadership skills and then once you become a manager develop those skills, or would you rather be put in a managerial position and develop both as you progress?
Managers and leaders are essential in creating a work environment that is collaborative and productive. Although both managers and leaders can have similar traits, there are usually differences between the two. The purpose of this discussion is to examine the differences of manager and leader behaviors.
Management is defined as the act or manner of managing, handling, direction, or control (dictionary.com). Leadership is defined as an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction (dictionary.com). They do not mean the same thing; however, it is thought that a manager should have leadership skills to be able to manage an organization. Not all managers have great leadership skills and just because a manager does not have these skills does not mean he or she is a bad manager.
In a firm, management and leadership are important and needed. Leadership and management are similar. Actually, leadership and management are totally different. The leadership would influence the firm. The leader would have difference leadership styles to lead the subordinate.
Several weeks ago, I stumbled on this quote “Greatness is not a function of circumstance; greatness is largely a matter of conscience, choice and discipline” by Jim Collins. Halfway into my Leadership One class, after a sober reflection; I realized that all the great leaders I had heard of and known personally exhibited traits of fascinating discipline, intense consciousness amongst other factors. Another interesting observation showed the allegiances of these leaders to a supernatural being. In my opinion, leaders and managers have quite a clear distinction which is tersely explained as “managers do things right and leaders do the right thing.” Nonetheless, managers administer and leaders innovate to be precise.
It is said that a manager is one that is doing things right, but a leader is someone who is not doing things right.
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.
Leadership is the act of having self-awareness, understanding others, having vision, energy, edge, energizes others, executing plans and above all having integrity and intelligence (J. Welch). Management is following laid done procedures and processes to be efficient and productive. As Peter Drucker once said “management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”( Management Paradise)
Leaders and managers seem to have a lot in common Being a good manager does not automatically make you a good leader, however if you are to combine the two you can become a great manager/Leader.
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.
The process of their working is different but sometimes they work together. Managers are maintaining the organization structure and status. On the other hand leaders are setting goal, direction, find new ways and challenging. Manager’s activities depend on human, time, money and equipment included decision making, problem solving, planning, budgeting, controlling, discipline etc. Leader’s activities depending and leading on inspiring and empowerment included inspiration, motivation, team work, make relationships, teaching and couching etc.
The greatest ion of the concept of management is that it is often mistaken for leadership. In most cases, successful managers are labeled leaders. Thus, if one manages his responsibilities well by adopting the right approaches, they will naturally become leaders. After all, leadership is all about managing high order things. In a nutshell, leadership focuses on setting direction or vision for an organization, which every member of the organization should follow. On the other hand, management controls, directs and coordinates people and resources in accordance with organization principles, values and established objectives. Essentially, leadership is one quality that a manager should have (Stephen & Halsey, 2001).
There are several differences between leadership and management leadership involves individuals who understand and trust in a vision and who work to accomplish the goals. While management is overseeing the day-to-day activities and ensure they are running smoothly. Management offers order and regularity throughout an organizations and leadership creates change and movement. Management seeks out order and stability while leadership is about seeking adaptively and construction change. Difference between leadership and management involves the approach that is used towards the individuals who follow the leader or work for the
Leadership and management are two words that are commonly mistaken; the relation and the differences between them are often unclear. Leadership can be defined as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or a set of goals." Managers are there to plan, organize, lead and monitor employees' activities. Leaders also have to be able to guide an organization through change. As we will see later, vision is a crucial component in the success of this task.
Managing groups and teams is a task that requires skill and training. Although leaders and managers differ in some ways, one commodity that they share is: focusing on achieving the goal. Managing and leading are two different ways to organize people, in which managers control and direct, while leaders set a direction and vision for the group or team.
What is the difference between a manager and a leader? Are the terms interchangeable? These questions may be answered by examining two simple definitions in the literature for the terms...