One of my favorite management quotes says “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success, leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” My ideas about leadership and management have been shaped by personal experiences in both the military and private sectors. While there are good and bad leaders in both worlds, the military adds an interesting twist in the requirement to follow the orders of your chain of command and that facets of management are performed at varying steps in that chain. In the military, “leadership” is imposed as rank is earned. Conversely, in the private sector, leadership is earned or demonstrated in order to achieve “rank”. I find myself torn between these alternate views of leadership and management as I think of answers to the assigned questions.
If I were the CEO of a company, would I hire managers or leaders for my supervisory positions? My answer to this question depends on my company. As the CEO of a start-up company on the cutting edge of my market segment, I would ensure that the majority of my supervisors have the vision and skills necessary to ensure success and future growth opportunities. However, not all functions of the business would require a high level of forward thinking so having managers would also be important. As the book states, having leaders with an entrepreneurial view of the world would be an asset during the development phase of the business but they could become overwhelmed by bureaucracy as the business matures. I think it is important to note that “leading” is listed as one of the 8 identifiable functions of managers. From a military perspective, as an admiral, I would expect my senior officers to be leaders with an eye on t...
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... also results in higher efficiency.
Works Cited
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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
Much has been written about the difference between management and leadership. In the past, competent management staffs ran effective companies. In light of our ever-changing world, however, most companies have come to realize that it is much more important to lead than to manage. In today's world the old ways of management no longer work. One reason is that the degree of environmental and competitive change we are experiencing is extreme. Although exciting, the world is also very unstable and confused. In an article entitled What’s the Difference between Your Hospital and the Other? Gary Campbell states that the difference between a manager and a leader is that the manager “finds himself quite willing to take risk, but seemingly afraid to take the risk of being different.” That being true, a manager will always be reactive instead of proactive. A true leader will be proactive. He will embrace change and will look for ways to differentiate himself and his company from the competition.
Leadership is not a position but an action that is undertaken by an individual. Leadership is not just about giving orders, yet it is the action of serving others. According to Robert Townsend, “A leader is not an administrator who loves to run others, but someone who carries water for his people so that they can get on with their jobs” (2013). A good leader will support his or hers employees because a leader is not judged on their own actions, but they are judge on the success of those that they support. In the modern era, we look at business leaders in the same way that historians view military commanders or kings of the past.
The systematic and scholarly study of leadership consumed much of the twentieth century and continues to remain a vital topic of discussion today. Theories abound as to what makes one a good leader and, despite the continued efforts of many, no single operable expression of the meaning of leadership exists. In an attempt to address this issue James Kotterman wrote, “Leadership Versus Management: What’s the Difference.” The following review shall briefly summarize Kotterman’s article and follow with conclusions based on the experiences of this author.
What is leadership philosophy? According to Col William DeMarco, a leadership philosophy is similar to an organizational mission statement but on a singular level. “It lets people know what you expect, what you value, and how you will act; with the additional benefit of making the organization more productive like a compass it helps keep you, the leader, on course.” This paper will cover three elements. I will begin by discussing my leadership philosophy and my opinion on “a boss vs. a leader.” I will then provide a summary followed by an analysis of an interview I conducted with an Army battalion-level commander concerning his most challenging leadership issue.
Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.
Peter F. Drucker once said, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things” (Famous-Quotes-And-Quotations.com, n. d.). Leading is a key function of management. Without leadership, valuable time spent on planning, organizing, and controlling can be lost with no productive end result. Because leadership is the core of management, a great deal of focus must be placed on its key components. “Leading means influencing other people to get the job done, maintaining morale, molding company structure and managing conflicts and communication” (Dessler, 2004, p. 3).
Leaders manage and managers lead but they are not one and the same (Bass 1990). In years past the concepts of leadership and management have often been meshed into one. Is the manager of a business able to lead? Is the leader able to manage his followers? Management is defined by certain functions which can possibly lead to leadership and leadership is characterised by certain activities which could play a role in management. However, a number of managers do not lead and some leaders do not manage (Zaleznik, 1977). Different styles of leadership exist, the basic being democratic, autocratic and laissez faire and several theorists. Both political and business leaders have their views on what leadership should be and the characteristics an effective leader should posses. Management on the other hand, also has several definitions but the views on management and who an effective manager is are often synonymous. This essay sets out to critically asses Dwight D. Eisenhower's definition of leadership in relation to business organisations and also how leadership differs from management while comparing it to other views on leadership. Grove (1986) stated that it is necessary for effective managers to have the same clarity of purpose and motivation attributed by effective leaders.
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.
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.
What is leadership? Leadership is having the ability to give guidance to those that will follow. Those that follow will help to complete the mission. Leadership is a soft science, just as anthropology, sociology and psychology. It cannot be proven exactly what it is. Leadership is an art, the skillful application of leadership behaviors beyond techniques is much the same as the skillful application of brushstrokes by a master painter. Leadership is both rational and emotional. It involves both sides of human experience. It includes actions and influences based on reason and logic as well those based on inspiration and passion. Leadership is a social process shared among all members of a group. Leadership development comes through experience. We all learn from our different experiences. Whether positive or negative, they are our tools for growth and development.
Reflecting on my career, I believe it would be hard for me to imagine my current positions, rank and responsibility in both the fire service and the Coast Guard when I started in 1998. Over the years I have had several great teachers who have shaped my perceptions and guided my actions. My parents garner much of the credit of my successes as they raised me with a baseline of values which serves me today. Those values, my mentors, and my experiences have worked to construct my definition of leadership. To me, leadership is the practice of taking people to places (real or figurative) they would not likely go on their own. While this is a crude explanation, it is one which I have rallied around in my career. It distinguishes itself from that of a position of management where the parameters and rules for success are generally known. When encountering the unknown, or the uncharted territory, those who pioneer practice leadership.
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.
Leadership and management have several meanings and mean something different to everyone. Leadership has been defined similarly to management from time to time and can be defined by every individual
Leadership and management are two fundamental concepts which are involved in the effective management of organizations. Leadership in my opinion is a complex concept, which includes association of human qualities and the result of their activities. To be a great leader means not only following own visions, but also work towards company’s goals.