Management and Leadership

ABSTRACT

As defined in Webster’s Dictionary, a leader is “A person who causes others to go with him, by persuasive guidance…” (Webster’s, 2002). A Manager is defined as “a person controlling or administering a business” (Webster’s, 2002). The obvious difference between the 2 definitions is that the leader is one who is followed, inspires and often leads by example, while a manager usually is concerned with only controlling and administering without necessarily leading his subordinates. In other words, a leader must be a manager, but a manager does not necessarily need to be a leader.

The Challenge to create Leaders

All companies need both managers and leaders. In most cases, and as mentioned before, there are individuals who are strong managers but not necessarily strong leaders. In rare cases, there are some who are strong leaders but may not necessarily be strong managers. Therefore, it is the company’s challenge to develop managers into leaders and leaders into managers. Managing is a subset of leadership. A good leader should both lead and manage well.

The Advantages of Being a Leader

The chart shown below, which was retrieved from Landscapemanagement.com, and written by Stephanie Rios, illustrates a few major points and differences when managing and leading.

When I manage, I When I lead, I

Provide structure Use imagination

Ask "how" and "when" Talk strategy

See the bottom line See the horizon

Do things right Do the right thing

Give answers Ask questions

Use common sense Ask why

The chart clearly defines the tendency of the leader to act and to involve others in the decision making. Because of this, leaders create the atmosphere of sharing and allow everyone the opportunity to learn from one another. The leader’s management style is usually more successful because employees feel that they are actively contributing to the success of the company by being given the chance to share their own ideas and suggestions. This obviously fosters a richer environment and offers the employee self-worth and personal satisfaction and, in turn, leads to more effective and efficient employees.

As illustrated by “ask how and when” vs. “talk strategy”, managers usually ask why employees are not productive as they should be. A leader, however, would instead not only ask the question, but also get more involved with suggestions on how to help the employees achieve their goals. Leaders tend to be coaches, not being afraid of sharing authority and power with their employees to promote new ideas and solutions.

To discuss another point from the chart, managers “see the bottom line” by looking at results. Leaders will add to that by also “seeing the horizon” and by coming up with ways to improve the results.

It is, therefore, definitely an advantage for a manager to also develop a leadership role in his or her management style. A manager needs to learn to be a leader if he or she desires to be a better manager.

Developing the Leadership Skill

Not everyone is born a leader. Fortunately, if one does not have the skills to be a leader, it is a skill that can be learned. Generally, the first skill that should be developed is the ability to determine what the employee needs and to take the time to find out what is in the follower's mind concerning his situation and