Leadership and management are closely related and yet can be very different. There is actually a reciprocal relationship between the two, that is, an effective manager must have leadership skills, and an effective leader must also possess management skills.

According to leadership author Warren J. Bennis:

“The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. The manager has his eye on the bottom line; the leader has his eye on the horizon. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.”

This implies that the difference in leadership and management lies with perspective. The leader’s view of the future has to do with vision, that is, envisioning tomorrow’s achievement. The manager, on the other hand, views the future through the lens of a process needed to achieve tomorrow’s goals:

  • Managers ask how and when, leaders ask what and why
  • Managers focus on systems, leaders focus on people
  • Managers do things right, leaders do the right things
  • Managers maintain, leaders develop
  • Managers rely on control, leaders inspire trust
  • Managers have a short-term perspective, leaders have a longer-term perspective
  • Managers accept the status-quo, leaders challenge the status-quo
  • Managers have an eye on the bottom line, leaders have an eye on the horizon
  • Managers imitate, leaders originate
  • Managers emulate the classic good soldier, leaders are their own person
  • Managers copy, leaders show originality

Generally speaking, leaders are concerned about people and managers concern themselves with tasks. This doesn’t mean the leader isn’t concerned about the task. If the leader isn’t task-oriented to some extent, he could never achieve anything. The difference between the leader and the manager is that the leader knows he achieves because the people perform, whereas the manager may not.

A manager is responsible for using resources to accomplish the mission. The tendency to treat people as simply a resource may get the mission accomplished for the manager, but performance levels will be difficult to sustain. The leader realizes how important the people are to the organization and he lets them know it. This inspires them to achieve more.

As I’ve previously stated, leadership is the art of influencing and directing people to accomplish the mission. Management is the manner in which resources are used to achieve objectives. Leaders should also be aware of their responsibility to managers. British Field Marshall Lord Slim made a clear distinction:

“There is a difference between leadership and management. The leader and the men who follow him represent one of the oldest, most natural, and most effective of all human relationships. The manager and those he manages are the later product with neither so romantic, nor so inspiring a history. Leadership is the spirit, compounded of personality and vision–its practice is an art. Management is of the mind, more a matter of accurate calculation, statistics, methods, timetables, and routine–its practice is a science. Managers are necessary; leaders are essential.

Although I perform management functions within my organization, I consider myself first and foremost, a leader. I have a staff of 130 who perform the mission. My responsibility is basically to organize, train and equip the men and women in my charge.

I rely on management skills to do much of my work. I plan work assignments and develop production schedules; I develop and execute an operational budget; I evaluate personnel, products and processes; and I facilitate change. However, “I” accomplish these tasks through a collection of dedicated and highly trained professionals.

I enjoy the opportunity to delegate the majority of managerial tasks I’m responsible for. I enjoy getting my hands dirty alongside some of my junior members and teaching them new ways to accomplish a task. I enjoy the luxury of big picture thinking, conveying a vision to my staff and watching them work the details. Finally, I enjoy the opportunity to mentor the members of my organization and watch them achieve things they never thought possible (both personally and professionally). As former Secretary of State, Colin Powell said, “Leaders have the ability to inspire others to achieve what managers say isn’t feasible.”

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