Differences Between Management and Leadership Essay

Managers direct and control. Leaders motivate and inspire. Stated another way, Managers get people to do what needs to be done. Leaders get people to want to do what needs to be done (read that again if you need to; the

There is a difference between leadership and management, although they are similar in some ways. While, they both want to achieve common goals, influence people, and work with people, they are different. Managers aim to create consistency and

Quoted by Ronald Reagan “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” A manager gets things done via planning and delegation. Tasks are usually assigned and results are obtained by other efforts. A leader gets things done by holding a vision, modeling behaviors and usually have very inspiring actions. A manager is defined as, “An individual who is in charge of a certain group or tasks” (Business Dictionary). A leader is defined as “The person who leads or commands a group, organizations” (Business Dictionary).

Understanding the difference and similarities between managers and leaders can be enlightening. Managers develop and manage plans that impact the strategic vision of an organization while leaders set strategic visions for the organization. Managers establish plans, support strategic plans, and organizational objectives. Managers also evaluate and track the achievement of tactical plans that have been assigned to specific staff. While on the other hand leaders motivate staff to achieve the object and task set forth. Managers serve as problem solvers. Managers are the people who assign resources to groups. On the hand leaders serve as persuasive change agents.

Before we look at what leadership styles there are it is important to define what the difference is between management and leadership.

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

Both managers and leaders are responsible in assisting and keeping the hospital or organization running and promoting the organization to continue into the future. Managers and leaders have different distinct roles, but the ones that are the most effective, are the ones that will combine the roles and functions into their workday everyday. There roles and responsibilities can be similar, but also can be different. A manager can be a leader, but a leader isn’t necessarily a manager (GCU, 2011).

The Oxford English Dictionary describes the word leader as a “person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country” and describes the word manager as a “person responsible for controlling or administering all or part of company or similar organization”. Each of these meanings are very close in proximity however many in the business world have different definitions for each of these roles. Although they are different they are linked and are complementary to each other (Oxford Dictionary (American English)).

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.

There are numerous distinctions between management and leadership. Good managers are sometimes leaders; good leaders are sometimes managers. The distinction is primarily between action and enabling. I see management as a function. Examples of management include, planning, budgeting, evaluating, and facilitating. Examples of leadership include, a relationship, selecting

Leadership vs. Management, are they the same? No!. “A leader focus on setting goals and direction, challenging the norm, and seeking new ways of working towards the goals. On the other side, Managers specialize on conformance to the standards. They manage teams and individuals, organizing, directing and controlling to achieve goals” (EBA, 2016).

What are the differences between managers and leaders? “The biggest difference between managers and leaders is the way they motivate the people who work or follow them, and this sets the tone for most other aspects of what they do” (Changing Minds, 2008). Managers hire people to work underneath them to accomplish tasks for a common goal. These people are considered subordinates. Leaders have followers. These followers are considered employees. Leaders are passionate about something and bring this level of understanding and emotion to others around them. Managers deal with the physical aspect of the position, whereas leaders deal with the personal aspect of the position.

The difference between managers and leaders is that leaders have visions, strategies, and influences on people, while managers are more focused on implementing these elements (Robbins et al, 2012).

The act of directing and controlling a group of people for the purpose of coordinating and harmonizing the group towards accomplishing a goal beyond the scope of individual effort. Management encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources.

Not all managers are leaders and not all leaders are managers. The biggest difference between management and leadership is people skills. In determining if a person is a leader or a manager, Bova (2008) lists some differences with which many a person would agree. One difference is that a manager directs people. Managers essentially tell employees to get the job done. Many people work on autopilot until their work shift ends. However, people will follow a leader. Leaders inspire others to want to strive for their best and to go beyond their normal duties.