#Individuals trivia no. 44

Leadership vs Managership

Kets de Vries (2001:252) notes that the word ‘manager’ has its roots in the Latin word ‘manus’ or hand and by the middle ages had transformed into ‘manege’ meaning directing. It can be seen that even in ancient and medieval languages, management has something to do with doing and directing. However, the root word for a leader comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘laed’ or ‘laeden’ which translates to path or road and to travel - in other words, taking people from one place to another.

Hunt (2004) notes that the military has long distinguished between management and leadership; however, it has only been recently that leadership theorists have chosen to treat the two as separate constructs (Bennis & Nanus, 1985; Hersey & Blanchard, Zaleznik, 1977).

Kotter (1990) for example sees leadership as producing adaptive or useful change, whereas management is seen as the mechanics that make organizations run smoothly. As Hunt (2004:27) notes of Kotter’s view of the distinction between the two ideas:

‘...planning is a managerial process very different from what he terms the direction setting aspect of leadership. Direction setting is a process that produces vision and strategies, as opposed to planning. Kotter emphasized a key aspect of leadership as alignment - getting people to understand, accept and line up in the direction chosen.’

Kotter (1990) also saw motivation and inspiration as key roles of leaders versus managers. However, like many other academics and leadership practitioners, Kotter (1990) saw leadership and management as complementary and, while usually carried out by the same person, they need not be. 

Taffinder (2000:7) deconstructed the roles of leaders and managers by noting that managers control risks, react to events, enforce organizational rules, seek and follow direction, and coordinate efforts, whereas leaders seek opportunities, change organizational rules, provide something to believe in and inspire achievement. Similarly, Covey (1992: 246) noted that ‘leadership deals with vision, keeping the mission in sight - effectiveness and results. Managers deal with overseeing structures and systems to get those results. So, management focuses upon efficiency, cost-benefit analysis, logistics, methods, procedures, and policies. At the other end of the spectrum, Bennis and Nanus (1985) simply noted that ‘managers do things right and leaders do the right thing.’

Bolman and Deal (2012:345) noted of Kotter’s view that management is ‘primarily about structural nuts and bolts: planning, organizing and controlling...leadership is a change-oriented process of visioning, networking and building relationships.’ Gardner (1989:3) further suggests that leadership is about long-term thinking, looking outside of the organization as well as inside, and influencing people who may be outside of a leader’s formal authority or direct control. He also noted that leaders emphasize vision and renewal, as well as having the skills to deal with multiple groups of stakeholders at the same time.

As we progress through our careers into ever more senior roles, the expectation will be that we spend less time managing and more time leading. In fact, leadership skills are the mark of an executive and CEO, and while management skills are valued in early careers, a lack of leadership skills will see careers falter in the ranks of senior management (Fitzsimmons and Callan, 2016).

Perhaps we should give the final word to Bennis and Goldsmith (2003:8-9) who summarised the differences between leaders and managers as follows: 

? The manager administers; the leader innovates

? The manager is a copy; the leader is the original

? The manager maintains; the leader develops

? The manager accepts reality; the leader investigates it

? The manager focuses upon systems and structure; the leader focuses upon people

? The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust

? The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective

? The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why

? The manager has their eye always on the bottom line; the leader has their eye on the horizon

? The manager imitates; the leader originates

? The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it

? The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is their own person

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