The Difference Between Management & Leadership
Qualities of An Effective Manager Versus An Effective Leader
May 10, 2009
Often the lines of effective management and effective leadership get blurred. Though there is in fact some overlap between the two roles, they actually draw on different, and sometimes contradictory, qualities. Here is how typical management and leadership styles differ across several categories: personality, goals, strategy, qualifications and experience, and relationship to employees.
Personality Type
Good managers tend to seek comfort and stability both in their personal and professional lives. They are generally adverse to risk and prefer to preserve the status quo. Finally, those who do well in a management position tend to be detailed-oriented and good at things that require organization.
Effective leaders, on the other hand, are quite comfortable with significant amounts of risk and change as long as it helps them pursue their goals. They also naturally embrace the difficulties and challenges that they must overcome in order to achieve these goals. Finally, those who excel in leadership positions tend to be charismatic free-thinkers who are more comfortable thinking outside of the box instead of in it.
Goals
The goal of an effective manager is to maximize production within the current system of an organization through careful organizing, planning, and controlling. In other words, managers are trying to get the job at hand done. The goal of an effective leader is to work on a system instead of in it. They are not just concerned with getting the job done, they seek to enhance the whole process in a way that will benefit both the employees and the company as a whole.
Qualifications and Experience
Generally, the management ranks are filled with people who have slowly worked their way up the corporate ladder. Good managers tend to bring to their positions a lot of technical experience and a solid understanding of how the systems in their company work. On the other hand, it is possible that an effective leader will lack much of the experience that management has acquired. What leaders bring instead is a fresh outlook, new ideas, and inspiration.
Strategy
Success in management means sticking to company policy and working on maximizing output while reducing inefficiency. Managers take a formal and rational approach to their jobs. They rely heavily on their own abilities to analyze data, delegate work, and in general control the flow of production and performance.
Success in leadership is defined by the leader's ability to transform the business and empower its employees. Leaders are radical thinkers who follow their own intuition to seek out new opportunities. In order to be successful, leaders will enlist the help and support of the employees in their charge.
Relationship to Employees
Managers generally take an authoritarian approach when it comes to their subordinates. In other words, a manager says and the employees are expected to do as they are told. At the end of the day, it is also the manager who takes the credit for a job well done.
A leader, on the other hand, seeks to inspire, coach and empower; people will naturally and loyally follow. Unlike the manager, a leader's approach to employees is less formal. As mentioned above, leaders are more open to enlisting the help and support of of their followers and bestowing credit on others where credit is due.
Where Do Management and Leadership Meet?
Though they may seem to come from different ends of the spectrum, the qualities of good management and leadership compliment and enhance each other. The best managers generally possess some leadership qualities, and the most effective leadership often comes from someone who also has strong managerial skills.
In short, though management and leadership may differ in approach, if they are brought together correctly they can greatly enhance one anther.
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