Do You Know The Difference Between Leadership And Management?
Leadership Definition
Although closely related, management and leadership differ in several key respects. A popular leadership model developed in the 1960s labels management as a subset of the larger leadership process, which applies to the business environment. Although managers are types of leaders, all leaders may not be managers and management has a different goal than leadership overall. Abraham Zaleznik, a professor of leadership, has illustrated 12 chief differences between leadership and management.
One difference is to consider is the forms of power management and leadership each possess. We can look at management as a form of power that comes with a position. That is, a person is granted power because he is a manager and that power may be the only way a manager can exert control. However, leadership involves a form of power that comes from influence. A good leader will lead no matter how high or low her position within a group. Because of this, a good leader may be a prime candidate for a management position but this does not necessarily make it a certainty.
To expand upon this thought, a manager has subordinates while a leader has followers. The promotion to manager means that there are other workers who are underestimated a person in status within the business. Managers have the authority to tell those below them what to do. On the other hand, in order to leave one must have followers and following is a choice made of free will. Rather than delegate tasks, like a manager, leaders will appeal to followers in an attempt to convince them that following is in their best interest; in this way, leaders gain the trust of their followers.
The goals leaders and managers aspire to meet and the ways in which they do so may be one of the primary differences between leadership and management. Leaders are typically innovative individuals who are receptive to change and even liable to initiate it. Leaders are nonconformists and attempt to change the status quo, often asking “Why?”; they have visions, which usually focus on long term goals. Leaders will take risks for their visions, which may have more of a personal connection. The approach leaders take, generally sets the direction of a goal but does not deal with the details of it. Leadership involved a proactive approach to business and life.
On the other hand, management is likely to maintain the status quo and be more reactive to change. Managers are more reluctant to stand out, preferring to be the “good soldier”. Ideas frequently originate from leaders and this originality is something, which managers often lack. Instead, managers are more apt to copy or imitate the idea of a leader, following the road more traveled and minimizing risk by doing so. The objective-oriented manager sees the bottom line and knows how and when it can be reached; in business this may involved products or services and is usually a short-term goal. A manager administers work to his subordinates in order to accomplish this objective.
These distinctions illustrate a picture of a leader who is more disposed to being an individual who thinks for herself and has a more vivid imagination than a worker who focuses on taking and giving orders to achieve a necessary goal. However, both managers and leaders are needed in the business world.
