Difference Between Leaders And Managers

There are many different definitions of management. The classical authors considered the management is a role that aims to achieve effective operation, make regulations, provide directions and control resources (Whetten and Cameron, 2002). However, the newer visions focus more on management as a communication job in order to finish the work (Williams, 2010). Daft (2011) adds the coordinating others to meet the new challenges becomes a crucial task for modern management. Passage with time, the requirement of

Studies on the subjects of leadership and management have the underlying difference between a leader and a manager as “managers maintain things and leaders change things.” Gill (2006:26) explains their difference as “Managers plan, allocate resources, administer and control whereas leaders innovate, communicate and motivate”

Good management and leadership are essential for organizations to operate and additionally for the businesses to prosper. When businesses are well administered, they can function successfully and they can function effectively. Managers have exceptionally effective and strong plans, mangers have systematized structures, organizations, and they also assess effects. When businesses are appropriately directed, they acclimate to modifications in the situation and cultivate cultures that encourage obligation and improvement. Mutually good management and good leadership are essential to maintain organizational performance.

Some theorists use the terms ‘leadership’ and ‘management’ reciprocally as if they are tantamount with one another, while others use them in a very purposeful sense to express that they are, in effect, rather different (Bush, 2003). Organisational successfulness, it is generally accepted, is dependant on both competent leadership and consistent management (Dimmock and Walker, 2005) According to Grace (1995) they do not follow from one or the other, but

Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: described the difference between management and leadership as “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.”

“Understanding leadership in early childhood has been plagued by its confusion with the concept of management” (Rodd, 2013, p. 19). The quotation highlights the overlapping of different roles of leadership and management. It is true in respect that people misunderstand the true nature, roles and responsibilities of both the roles because the educational leaders play the role of manager in early childhood setting and the managers perform the duties of educational leader. The following essay will discuss the role of the leaders, which is different from the managers in early childhood settings. There will be discussion on the different skills and dispositions required to perform the role of a leader and a manager. There are different models and theories, which influence the way of working of the leaders and managers. First, the essay will explain the Collin’s level five leadership model; and Katz’s four development stages model followed by the Formal, Collegial and Cultural models of educational management in early childhood setting. Finally, the essay will compare and contrast the current theories of leadership; the charismatic theory, the transactional theory and the transformational theory of leadership. The different theories’ implication to the early educational settings will also be discussed through the essay.

In general, we are familiar with the quote managers do things right while leaders do the right things. In essence, the analytical versus the holistic approach of leadership addresses these two separate and distinct functions within an organization. For instance, a manager focuses on the daily operations of an organization with an emphasis on team delivery, budgeting, and supervising the employees. Contrarily, leaders within an organization focus their time on improvements and innovation. In particular, leaders can perform this function since they are not culpable for routine tasks and mired in the minutia. As a result, there is a misnomer that managers are leaders and leaders remain managers, but they are not exclusive. Therefore, being a manager and a leader requires different abilities and dispositions.

In today’s business world employees, industries, and consumers look toward company leaders like Steve Jobs (Former Apple CEO), Anne Mulcahy (Former Xerox CEO), Jeff Bezos (Amazon CEO), Elon Musk (Former PayPal CEO), and Eric Schmidt (Goggle CEO) to understand the dynamic roles of leadership and management. These two allusive terms have inspired a great deal of conversation, articles, and books full of material about their true meanings. These two words have also inspired the academic world to create core and major courses in an effort to help future managers and leaders plan, organize, and lead. But what does Leadership or Management really mean and are the terms related?

When I hear someone say “do the right thing” I automatically think about not doing what I want but doing what is best for everyone. Although doing the right thing is not always the favorite choice it most certainly is the best choice because the outcome is always positive in some shape or form. Doing the right thing mostly consists of following the rules, listening to instructions, and looking out for the best interests of others. I believe it is important to always be honest and selfless when someone asks you to do something or asks about any choices you may or may not have made.

Motivating people to achieve what they wouldn’t do naturally is how I view leadership on a very broad level. I base my view on a book I read a long time ago on coaching – but I don’t remember the name. In my experience, there are significant similarities between leadership and coaching. To name a few, both involve motivation, maximization of individual effort as a team, achieving a shared vision, and crossing the finish line together.

The saying goes that Management is doing things right, and Leadership is doing the right things. It sounds good on the surface - leaving the details up to the Managers while the Leaders lead. Or play golf.

Businesses are tasked with the objective of producing money. Even in class, there is a consensual understanding that “The meaning of life is money;” however, I would disagree with the majority and say that the meaning of life is relationships. Relationships are universal; every living creature in the world is connected through some function they do in life. In business, the most important roles are those that involve relationships, most specifically the role of the leader and the manager. There is a one key distinct difference between leaders and managers as defined by Randy Komisar in The Monk and the Riddle: “Management is a methodical process…Leaders must suspend their disbelief and move ahead even with very incomplete information.” To further elaborate on this idea, I will discuss the leadership skills Randy gained through his relationship with Bill Campbell, the impact the relationship had on Randy’s professional career, and how Lenny can apply the same skills to save his Funerals.com business.

The relation between leadership and management has for a longtime influenced how organizations are perceived. It has also contributed to maintain some type of confusion in education and within the organization itself.

For a quick review, the definition of leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group or individuals, to achieve a common goal.

Peter Spurgeon and Robert Cragg (2007) contend the current attention paid to the importance of leadership has diminished the value and contribution of management. The discussion concerning leadership and management, at the most extreme, is inclined to portray leadership as 'good' and management as 'bad'. These constraints are rooted in the proposition that people do not want to be managed, with its connotations of bureaucracy and control, but are happy to follow a leader toward a vision. At the core of this perception is the belief that leaders are concerned with the future and with the people in the system, while managers are focused upon greater efficiency and immediate results.