Leadership vs Management: Understanding The Key Difference

There’s an article I bumped into, “Leadership vs Management: Understanding The Key Difference”

A few years ago, leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators created companies, whereas managers were hired to run their operations. But, nowadays, you will notice that our educational system is mostly geared towards management education. Also, there is a perceptual change that treats both management and leadership as the same, which is not a mere reality. So, in this leadership vs management article, we will dig deep into the differences between leadership and management.

What is Leadership??

Leadership is the creation of positive, non-incremental change through meticulous planning, vision, and strategy. Workforce empowerment and adaptive decision-making also add up to the crucial attributes of leadership. Most often, people relate leadership with one’s position in an organization. But leadership has nothing to do with titles, management, or one’s personal agendas. It’s also not restricted to personality traits such as better vision or charismatic personality.

It is more like a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others towards the achievement of a common goal. It stems from social influence and requires human resources to achieve the intended outcomes. A leader is someone who always takes the initiative and invests a great effort to accomplish the company’s vision. That is the only reason why people around start following them.?

Next, in this leadership vs management article, we will discover what management is all about.

What is Management?

Management is all about performing pre-planned tasks on a regular basis with the help of subordinates. A manager is completely responsible for carrying out the four important functions of management: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Managers can only become leaders if they adequately carry out leadership responsibilities, including communication of good and bad, providing inspiration and guidance, and encouraging employees to rise to a higher level of productivity.

But, unfortunately, not all managers can achieve that. Managerial responsibilities are often outlined in a job description, with subordinates following because of the professional title or classification. A manager's primary focus is on meeting organizational goals; they often do not take much else into consideration. With the title comes the authority and the privilege to promote, hire, or reward employees based on their performance and behavior.

Difference Between Leadership and Management

It is possible to be a manager and a leader at the same time. But keep in mind that just because someone is a great leader doesn't mean they'll be a great manager or the other way around. So, what factors distinguish these two roles? Moving ahead in this leadership vs management article, we explore those factors.

1. Differences in Vision

Leaders are considered as visionaries. They set the pathways to excel the organizational growth. They always examine where their organization stands, where they want to go, and how they can reach there by involving the team.?

In comparison, managers set out to achieve organizational goals by implementing processes, such as budgeting, organizational structuring, and staffing. Managers' vision is bound to the implementation strategies, planning, and organizing tasks to reach the objectives set out by leaders. However, both of these roles are equally important in the context of business environments and necessitate associative efforts.

2. Organizing vs Aligning

Managers achieve their goals by using coordinated activities and tactical processes. They break down long-time goals into tiny segments and organize available resources to reach the desired outcome.

On the other hand, leaders are more concerned with how to align and influence people than how to assign work to them. They achieve this by assisting individuals in envisioning their function in a wider context and the possibility for future growth that their efforts may give.

3. Differences in Queries

A leader asks what and why, whereas a manager focuses on the questions how and when. To do justice to their duties as a leader, one might question and challenge the authority to reverse decisions that may not be in the better interests of the team. If a firm has a stumbling block, a leader will be the one to step up and ask, What did we learn from this? and Why has this happened?

On the other hand, managers are not required to assess and analyze failures. Their job description emphasizes asking How and When, which assists them in ensuring that plans are carried out correctly. They prefer to accept the status quo and make no attempt to change it.

4. Position vs Quality

A manager is a role that frequently refers to a specific job within an organization's structure, whereas the term leader has a more ambiguous definition. Leadership emerges as a result of your actions. You are a leader if you act in a way that inspires others to do their best. It makes no difference what your title or position is. On the other hand, a manager is a job title that comes with a fixed set of responsibilities.

The Three Important Differences Between a Manager and a Leader

Being a manager and a leader at the same time is a viable concept. But remember, just because someone is a phenomenal leader, it does not necessarily guarantee that the person will be an exceptional manager as well, and vice versa. So, what are the standout differences between the two roles?

A leader invents or innovates while a manager organizes

The leader of the team comes up with new ideas and kickstarts the organization’s shift or transition to a forward-thinking phase. A leader always has his or her eyes set on the horizon, developing new techniques and strategies for the organization. A leader has immense knowledge of all the current trends, advancements, and skillsets—and has a clarity of purpose and vision. By contrast, a manager is someone who generally only maintains what is already established. A manager needs to watch the bottom line while controlling employees and workflow in the organization and preventing any chaos.

A manager relies on control, whereas a leader inspires trust:

A leader is a person who pushes employees to do their best and knows how to set an appropriate pace and tempo for the rest of the group. Managers, on the other hand, are required by their job description to establish control over employees, which, in turn, helps them develop their assets to bring out their best. Thus, managers have to understand their subordinates well to do their job effectively.

A leader asks the questions “what” and “why", whereas a manager leans more towards the questions “how” and “when”:

To be able to do justice to their role as a leader, some may question and challenge authority to modify or even reverse decisions that may not have the team’s best interests in mind. Good leadership requires a great deal of good judgment, especially when it comes to the ability to stand up to senior management over a point of concern or if there is an aspect in need of improvement. If a company goes through a rough patch, a leader will be the one who will stand up and ask the question: “What did we learn from this? ”Managers, however, are not required to assess and analyze failures. Their job description emphasizes asking the questions “how” and “when,” which usually helps them make sure that plans are properly executed. They tend to accept the status quo exactly the way it is and do not attempt a change.

Want to know more? Head on over to the full article here for more ideas and perspective. Afterwards, why not drop me an email to share your thoughts at [email protected]; or call me on 0467 749 378.

Thanks,

Robert