A511.1.3.RB - Leadership vs. Management

In my childhood, the only thing I wanted to be great at was sports.  I loved everything about them; the exercise, the competition, the fun.  I was content coasting through everything else in life.  Of course being young and naïve, I did not realize that attitude was not good for the long term.  After I failed out of my freshman year of college because of my care free approach, I enlisted in the Air Force.  I want to say it was because I was a patriot, but the reality was I felt like I did not have many options.  The military changed me and definitely taught me responsibility and maturity.  However, it was not until I married my wife that I became inspired.  She taught me and pushed me to become a better person through many aspects of my life.  If it was not for her, I would not have finished (let alone started) my bachelor’s degree.  She has demonstrated many leadership qualities such as selflessness, direction, and being proactive.  She has also always supported me and given me confidence that I have what it takes to be a great leader.

I never believed I was a natural born leader.  Throughout my life I have been led and I have been managed.  I have experienced the difference between the two.  I have led others, but despite knowing the advantages of leading, there have been times in which I managed.  Leadership is not something that comes natural to a lot of people.  In fact, there have been many times I have been in a leadership position and I was downright uncomfortable.  But I think that uncomfortable feeling was me learning and growing as a leader.  Leadership is not something that one can become an expert just by reading a book.  I even believe that some people are incapable at being an effective leader because some leadership traits and qualities simply cannot be taught.  However, that doesn’t mean someone trying to be a more effective leader should not attempt to learn because leadership is definitely not a one size fits all application.

    

Simon Sinek (2009) stated, “We follow those who lead because we want to, not because we have to”.  I believe this statement to hold true when comparing leading to managing.  When people follow a leader, they are following because they want to.  When people follow a manager, they are following because they have to.  True leaders inspire those around them, whereas managers direct those around them.  I really like the way www.changingminds.org captures the differences between leaders and managers below:

Subject	Leader	Manager
Essence	Change	Stability
Focus	Leading people	Managing work
Have	Followers	Subordinates
Horizon	Long-term	Short-term
Seeks	Vision	Objectives
Approach	Sets direction	Plans detail
Decision	Facilitates	Makes
Power	Personal charisma	Formal authority
Appeal to	Heart	Head
Energy	Passion	Control
Culture	Shapes	Enacts
Dynamic	Proactive	Reactive
Persuasion	Sell	Tell
Style	Transformational	Transactional
Exchange	Excitement for work	Money for work
Likes	Striving	Action
Wants	Achievement	Results
Risk	Takes	Minimizes
Rules	Breaks	Makes
Conflict	Uses	Avoids
Direction	New roads	Existing roads
Truth	Seeks	Establishes
Concern	What is right	Being right
Credit	Gives	Takes
Blame	Takes	Blames

There is a distinction between leading and managing, but the lines tend to blur depending on who is interpreting.  There is no question that successful organizations need leaders and managers.  However, I think it is a matter of finding the right balance between the two for a successful formula.  "Both roles are necessary, but problems can occur if an appropriate balance is not maintained" (Yukl, 2013, p. 6).  Leaders and managers both have their place in organizations.  I agree with Yukl that "defining managing and leading as distinct roles, processes, or relationships may obscure more than it reveals if it encourages simplistic theories about effective leadership" (Yukl, 2013, p. 6). 

References:

Leadership vs. Management.  Retrieved July 6, 2015, from: http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/articles/manager_leader.htm

Sinek, S. (2009) How Great Leaders Inspire Action. TEDxPuget Sound.  Retrieved July 6, 2015, from: http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall