Leader vs. Manager – Is having great leaders enough?

Everywhere I look, I see a sea full of great leaders. Being a “Leader” in “IN” these days. I know, I use it too :). Leader is cool, manager less so. ?

And despite having so many great leaders, organizations still underperform, targets are missed, people burn out, time is wasted, and people quit. So, what’s the deal? What's missing? In a world full of leaders we are missing the great managers!

• Can great leaders alone do it all alone?

The answer to the first question is NO.

Leadership needs management and the other way around. One without the other, will yield the same outcome.

In a highly complex and constantly changing world, both great leadership and great management are essential for the success of all organizations.

Some further questions to consider:?

• 1.???? Why a great leader without a great manager won’t yield any results?
• 2.???? Why a great manager without having a leader will not be able to align the organization, navigate change, and ultimately to deliver results?

And while I was researching to see what different scholars think about it, I came across this old, long but still actual Harvard Business Review article. It sums it all.

https://hbr.org/2001/12/what-leaders-really-do by the reknown John Kotter

Below are two excerpts.

Management is about coping with complexity. Its practices and procedures are largely a response to one of the most significant developments of the twentieth century: the emergence of large organizations. Without good management, complex enterprises tend to become chaotic in ways that threaten their very existence.

Leadership, by contrast, is about coping with change. Part of the reason it has become so important in recent years is that the business world has become more competitive and more volatile […] The net result is that doing what was done yesterday, or doing it 5% better, is no longer a formula for success. Major changes are more and more necessary to survive and compete effectively in this new environment. More change always demands more leadership.

Let me know what you think? What has been your experience?