Leading Versus Managing

Supervisors Should Recognize the Importance of Leadership

May 12, 2009 Heather Rothbauer-Wanish

Although the idea of managing and leading is often used interchangably, the two tasks are different. Managing is getting things done and leading is being an inspiration.

For those employees being promoted to a managerial or supervisory position, there is a great deal of information to learn. A top priority is learning how to manage the day-to-day operations of the business, working with employees and planning the sequence of events that must occur within the business. Although managing both people and tasks is important, managers must also develop a method for leading their employees.

Leading is Part of the Overall Management Picture

Along with planning, organizing and controlling, leading serves as one of the four major management functions. Even with an accurate and reliable plan, a well-organized strategy and a method to review the results, a good manager must be able to lead his or her employees to help with executing the vision for the company.

Leading and Managing are Two Different Things

Many employees follow a manager’s direction because they must do so. The power of influence comes directly from the status and position held. For example, a nurse may not like his or her doctor as their supervisor, but the nurse knows that the doctor’s orders must be followed. The doctor holds position power over the nurse position. Students follow instructors because they know they have the authority in the classroom. A student may not like a particular instructor or think that they are particularly inspiring, but the student knows they must follow the instructor’s guidelines if they are to achieve success in the classroom.

A leader is someone who inspires. This person is a person that an employee wants to follow and is excited to follow. The inspiration comes from who the person is and how they communicate, not necessarily the position the person holds. Certain people have a charisma and a knack for getting people to follow them. They are able to inspire people who may not have anyone else to look towards.

The Best Supervisor is a Combination Manager and Leader

In a perfect work setting, the manager himself or herself also serves as a leader. Employees follow this person because they are the manager and they need to, but also because they want to do so. This is the ideal combination; employees respect the position the manager holds but also respect the manager as a person. The power of personal persuasion always outweighs the power that the position itself offers.

Managers must remember that it is not enough to use the position power they hold. The must cultivate their leadership skills and learn how to inspire their employees. Leading employees will take the company much further than simply managing them.

The copyright of the article Leading Versus Managing in Business Management is owned by Heather Rothbauer-Wanish. Permission to republish Leading Versus Managing in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Managers Should Strive to Inspire Employ