Leadership VS Management: Difference between Leadership and management

What is the major difference between leadership and management? While many of you may think that manager is also a leader so, these two terms mean the same, but actually not. The terms “management” and “leadership” are often used interchangeably.

Maybe there is some overlap between the work that managers and leaders do, but these two terms have different meaning and they shouldn’t be used interchangeably. Both imply a unique set of skills, characteristics and functions that share a few similarities.

They also show some strong differences in some circumstances. For example, some people lead without a managerial role, while some managers do not practice leadership.

What is Leadership?

We believe that we have a good idea about what it means to be a good leader, but when it comes to defining the concept, the picture is not that clear. For some people, leadership represents inspiration, for others, it is motivation.

If I say, Definition of Leadership: Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others towards achieving a goal or a specific target. It is the art of motivating a group of people.

Leadership Skills:

Are you a leader? Here I’m discussing some skills every leader must-have. Check out these points and see how many of you have these skills.

1. Vision of a Leader:

Basically, leading means having a clear vision and sharing it with others. Only when you get to inspire other people, it is possible to share a common goal towards which to direct the dedication and the efforts of the entire team. You need to aim high and your vision must be bold and ambitious. Creating a vision is a little complicated and will need need to take your team and define your company 10 years from now. You should be able to dominate your sector.

2. Motivation:

A leader must know how to motivate better than anyone else. As a people manager, it is one of their primary function. A leader channels their coworkers’ energy and professional potential through motivation. This is a very important feature of a leader. Leading is not about giving orders. You need to let your team talk, listen and understand what they need, ask them questions to create a perfect environment for each one of your team.

For motivating your team, make sure that you have a goal or target to achieve. Make your data accessible and transparent to everyone. Transparency is a great key to motivation.

3. Empathy:

Emotional intelligence is one of the best leadership qualities. It is the ability to put yourself in the place of others, understanding their concerns and solve their problems. Leaders can empathize with customers and members of their teams because they know all the secrets of their business. Empathy is the way to inspire and establish links that will ultimately lead to success.

4. Creativity:

Creativity is directly associated with leadership. If you don’t have any creativity, then you are not eligible to be a leader. Good leaders are able to create a positive environment and that will encourage their team members to develop their imagination and skills so that they can contribute to the common vision of the company. If you want to be a successful leader, then you have to be creative and respect the creativity of other people, you have to learn from your surroundings.

5. Serving as a Leader:

Group members must have support from their leader, so you have to be present whenever they need you. You should always present at the service of your team members. The tools they needed for their jobs must be available to them. Always appreciate those who are paying attention in order to correct their bad habits.

6: Taking Risks

A leader is the one responsible for taking risks that others are not willing to take. You should let your team members make the decision, and if they make a mistake, then you must have the courage to rectify, assume their guilt and take the right path without blaming it on the team members. Also, risk-taking is an intrinsically human trait and plays a major part in the life of leaders.

Basically, people don’t take risks because of fear. They are afraid of failure, of being vulnerable, of errors and mistakes. If you want to be a leader, then you have to think beyond their imagination level.

7. Team Building

True leadership is all about working together in a team to reach a common goal. People management is one of the toughest tasks faced by leaders. A positive attitude is very essential for a good leader. Trusting your team members always brings the best result. Leaders always take responsibility when something is wrong and reward the group for success.

8. Trustworthiness

You are not a good leader if your team members are uncomfortable or unwilling to approach you. It will break the trust between the leader and their teammate. When employees believe in their leader’s honesty, it is beneficial for the sincerity and responsibility of the workplace. A trustworthy leader is far better than an effective leader.

9. Communication

A leader is a person who inspires positive, incremental change by empowering their team members to work toward common objectives, and the most powerful tool for doing so is communication. Effective communication is very essential to gain trust and align efforts in the pursuit of goals and stimulate positive changes. When communication is lacking, it causes relationships to suffer and ultimately creating barriers that can hinder progress.

10. Throughness

A good leader fixes the bar high for their people because they want to reach the goals and bring the best for their team. The leaders who are demanding in nature will achieve great results. In addition to this skill, the leader must know how to listen, in order to know the necessity of the people, and then provide the required time and resources for them to do their job the right way, and therefore meet what is demanded of them.

These are some of the important characteristics a leader must needed.

What is management?

Management is the art of work done through people with the satisfaction of the public, employer and the employees.

Concept of Management:

• Management is considered both art and Science.
• Management is an executive act.
• Planning, staffing, motivation, directing, organizing, coordination and control are the main functions of management.
• The main objective of the management is to apply the knowledge and analytical approaches developed by several other disciplines.
• Management only implements the politics laid down by the administrator.
• Management is the follower of the administration.

Importance of Management

• There is no enterprise which can survive without management. Without management the business will be all confusion, nobody will know what to do.
• Management controls and guides the activities of the manpower for maximum utilization.
• It provides new ideas and vision.
• Managers provide stability to the company.
• Management helps to develop the personality.

Types Of Managers or Types of management

• Managerial or Top-level management.
• An executive or Middle-level management.
• A supervisor or Operate-level management.

Functions of management

Planning: Planning function is mostly performed by the top-level managers with the help of every level of management members.

Organizing: To organize a business is to provide it with everything useful to its functioning- tools, raw materials, capital and personnel.

Staffing: Every business requires a group of quality people for certain positions. The managerial function of staffing involves manning the organizational structure through the appraisal and development and the proper effective selection of personnel to fill the roles designed into the structure.

Directing: Directing is an art performed by a manager. It is the process of being work done. Directing includes corresponding procedures, observing the mistakes and solve them, making assignments and providing job instructions.

Controlling: the growth of a company is fully depends on controlling. The controlling function involves to set the standard for measuring the work performance, compare the actual performance with the standards.

If you want to read management in details, click here..

Management Skills:

People management skills: managing people with emotional intelligence is called people management skills. It is one of the most important management skills. If you can’t manage people, then you can’t manage a business.

Communication skills: A manager is a person who inspires positive, incremental change by empowering their team members to work toward common objectives, and the most powerful tool for doing so is communication. As a manager, you have to deal with various types of people, from heads of the business to employees.

Technical Skills: Technical skills are the much-required skills of a manager. These skills are developed through your work experience and during formal education.

Conceptual Skills: One of the most important management skills is the conceptual skill. It is the ability to analyze complex situations. The managers, who are answerable for deciding what is good for the organization, relay on conceptual skills.

Leadership Skill: Good managers are basically effective and inspirational leaders. Great leaders want input from all stakeholders and appreciate the contribution of their team members. You can develop your leadership skills by leading some projects during your educational period.

The other important managerial skills are:

• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Directing skill
• Oversight
• Domain knowledge
• Diagnostic skill
• Analytical skill
• Decision-making skill

If you want to read “Top 10 Managerial Skills” in details, click here..

Comparison Between Leadership and Management

In a business, it is important to have both great managers and leaders. The organization needs a good leader to the organization to achieve its mission and a good manager to ensure the things are getting done to reach the company’s vision.

Leaders Set the Goal, Managers Follow it

When it comes to setting and executing a company’s vision and aims, leaders and managers have different roles. Most leaders have a clear vision of the position of their organizations in the future. However, they are not the only ones who are responsible for fulfilling the vision.

Here, managers play a significant role. Leaders transfer the company’s mission, goal and vision to the entire organization and managers are responsible for keeping employees aligned with the core company goals and values.

Leaders are the ones who can build trust in the workplace by speaking openly about the company’s challenges, goals and opportunities. They can create a productive work environment where employees feel free to share their own ideas, concerns and needs.

However, 71% of employees believe that their leaders do not spend enough time discussing plans and goals. In this situation, managers do this job and equalize the environment.

Leaders Think Ideas, Managers Think of Execution

Leaders are looking for improvement in the organization, while managers emphasize rationality and control. A leader always comes up with new ideas and delivers that to a person with a forward-thinking mindset.

Basically, leaders look for answers to “why and what” while managers look for answers to “when and how”. therefore, the managers’ primary responsibility to complete their tasks and reach their goals based on the leader’s vision. Managers’ job to make their employees feel free so that they can share their voice.

Leaders are concerned with ideas, relate in more high level while managers relate to people according to the role they play in a decision-making process. Leader’s attention to “what should be done” to achieve the best results and a manager’s attention to “how thing get done”.

Leaders can play a role in driving change in organizations. A leader always inspires incremental and positive change by empowering employees to work toward common aims. When people are not inspired by a leader, there is little a manager can do to help their employees succeed. By improving a personal leadership style, leaders can empower their workforce, get their followers’ attention and inspire them to act on important organizational initiatives.

Leaders Form the Culture, Managers Support It

Culture is a system of behaviours, beliefs and values that configure and determine how a system operates and how the works getting done. When it comes to the organizational culture, the difference between management and leadership is that managers lead their employees to live up to the culture which was shaped by the leaders. Inspiring leaders have the power to influence employees’ behaviours and communicate the organizational culture company-wide.

So, driving employees to live by the company’s core value and culture is impossible without the collaboration between management and leadership.

Leaders Inspire People, Managers Push Them to Their success

Leaders have the great power to inspire people, and managers are responsible for their success and positive experience. When leaders are unable to inspire their employees, managers take the responsibility to help their people succeed.

91% of the surveyed employees think that their leaders are not good communicators. Employees feel less stressed and under pressure when they have the opportunity to communicate with the leaders regularly.

If an employee works effectively within his workplace, it is the result of honesty, open and transparent communication between the leader, manager and employees.

Leaders Peek into the future, Managers Take Action in the Present

Leaders are basically more future-focused while managers are more focused on the present moment. Therefore, the manager’s most important target is to come through organizational goals by utilizing procedures and processes around budgeting, staffing and organizational structuring while leaders tend to think ahead and capitalize on future prospects.

Yet, the leadership’s vision of the future means nothing if it can’t be clearly communicated to both employees and managers. The biggest drivers of employee engagement are the feeling of intention and the alignment of employees’ professional and personal values, every leader should attempt towards creating that sense of purpose among employees.

Key Differences Between Leadership and Management

• Management needs control of the manager over its subordinates and leadership requires the trust of the followers in their leader.
• Leadership is the quality of influencing others, on the other hand, management is the skill of ruling over the people.
• Leadership is the art of leading people through inspiring them, while management is a mental process of managing the activities of the organizations.
• Management brings stability, while leadership brings change.
• Leadership based on principles, trust and guidelines while management based on policies, procedures and control.
• Leadership’s strategy is to be proactive on the other hand, management’s strategy is to be reactive.

The Overlapping Areas of Leadership and Management

1. Communication of both leadership and management is important for an organization’s success. While leadership communication inspires people, management communication empowers people to do their best.
2. Effective problem-solving and decision making is the responsibility of both leader’s and managers. They both play a crucial role in making a decision and solving problems.
3. Like problem-solving and decision-making, leaders and the managers should work together collaboratively during the time of crisis. It will help the organization to recover quickly.

Are the Leadership and the Management Same?

Basically, leadership and management are two whole different chapters of a book but is some organizations management and leadership are often considered the same. These are two complementary qualities that are linked to each other.

Leaders Set the Goal and managers plan, organize, and coordinate to execute the vision or goal. From the military point of view, a leader is a commander-in-chief while a manager is a field general.

But if you want to be a good leader, you must have some managerial skills and a good manager must have the leadership skills.

Which Comes First Leadership or Management?

Without a leader, there is no organization and if there is no organization, there is no need for a manager. So, the leaders and the managers are compliments to each other.

Which is Better Leader or Manager?

Leaders transfer the company’s mission, goal and vision to the entire organization and managers are responsible for keeping employees aligned with the core company goals and values. You can’t compare them which is better. Without a leader, there is no vision in an organization and without a manager, the visions of the company cannot be fulfilled. Therefore, leaders and managers both are very important to run an organization.

Is a Manager a Leader?

Of course, managers are the leaders of their subordinates. They have also the ability to lead a team. Without leadership quality, you can’t be a good manager.

In some situations like decision-making, problem-solving and crisis management, managers also collaborate with the leaders.

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