Leadership

Leadership and management are terms that are often used interchangeably. It is important to note that these terms are not synonyms, and in fact, have entirely different meanings. The importance of this point lies in the application of the concepts behind the terms and how they apply to running a business. Understanding the difference between leadership and management and how and when to utilize such abilities is critical to building and maintaining a successful organization. The purpose for this paper is to compare and contrast the differences between management and leadership.

Leadership – how do we define it? There are so many different ways to understand leadership and many perspectives from which to describe it. I will define leadership as influence. Leadership is choosing a goal and becoming that goal in the eyes of the people who follow you. True leadership is not a matter of power, position, or pressure; it is matter of influence. While there is no single definition of leadership, there seems to be an understanding that a leader is the person who commits people to action, converts followers into leaders and converts leaders into agents of change.

Management can be defined as the attainment of organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner through planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling organizational resources (Daft, p. 421). Management is getting people to do what needs to be done. Managers have to be knowledgeable about what their team is tasked to deliver and the process required to deliver it. They shoulder the day-to-day responsibility in an organization.

Both leadership and management are concerned with providing direction for the organization, but there are differences. Leadership sets a direction, a vision for the future. Management sets short term goals to provide the pathway to the vision. “A manager’s job is to create stability and deal with reality. A leader’s job is to stir emotion and set audacious, grandiose goals that shake the status quo. Too much management and you stagnate. Too much leadership and you get nowhere” (Management Skill vs. Leadership Skill).

In terms of relationships, management focuses on objects such as reports and on taking the steps needed to produce the organization’s goods and services. Leadership, in contrast, focuses on challenging and inspiring people. Warren Bennis, Professor of Business Administration at the University of Southern California, has been extensively studying and writing about leadership for many decades. He explains why leaders are so much more