With management and leadership often discussed within a very similar context, they are both typically – and often somewhat mistakenly – seen to be very similar to each other, or even as exactly the same thing, seemingly with no differences whatsoever. While there are certainly some very obvious similarities between the two, managers and leaders should be viewed and appreciated as entirely separate entities, with each one asserting fairly different mind-sets and often also taking different approaches via their given roles within business and within an organisation.In his book titled “On Becoming a Leader,” Warren Bennis composed a list on what he thought were the differences between a manager and a leader. In order to try to understand his distinctions between the two, we take a look at four points from Bennis’ list and elaborate on their meanings, in order to understand the real differences between management and leadership:1. The manager imitates; the leader originatesThe leader is original, insofar as they are typically the ones in an organisation who are responsible for coming up with the overall business strategy that then filters throughout the rest of the organisation. As it filters through, it reaches the managers, who then pass it on and replicate it to their own team members and employees; in other words, they are imitating the leader’s original intentions and ensuring that it is implemented in practical terms.2. The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on peopleWhile the manager focuses on delegating work and tasks to the people, their priority is that the work gets done and is done properly. In getting this work done, a manager’s interest in people will mainly and primarily be on their capabilities and skill level. Meanwhile, a leader will be focusing on people – primarily the management team directly below them – to make sure that the business runs as smoothly as possible.3. The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trustThe archetype of the manager is a person who has to be – and must be – in control no matter what. This is an unfortunate necessity for a manager – after all, they need to be in control of their staff in order to manage them effectively – which can sometimes make them unpopular or perhaps portray them in a negative light. A leader’s role, then, is to inspire trust throughout the organisation. It is certainly the case that an untrustworthy leader can be the representation and face of an untrustworthy business, so trustworthiness is crucial. However, a good leader should know that if their managers are seen as untrustworthy as well or instead then it can also damage and discredit their reputation, too.4. The manager maintains; the leader developsA manager’s responsibility is to make sure that the business continues to operate as an efficient, well-oiled machine. It is the leader’s concern to grow and develop the business on an on-going basis and for managers to then maintain and look after that growth and development via their management.With some of the differences between managers and leaders outlined above, it can be argued that to some extent, management in particular is sometimes seen in a perhaps more negative light than leadership. However, both management and leadership are important when they are working and operating in unison:
Leadership without management can result in brilliant theory and ideas, but could potentially ignore correct and effective implementation
Management without leadership meanwhile can result in well-managed employees and workloads, but can lack direction and could miss potential opportunities
Therefore, effective management with leadership will mean that the theories and ideas should work well with the employees, with a strong direction resulting in effective implementationIt is hugely important that not only both management and leadership are practiced, but that they are both practiced together, hand in hand, efficiently and effectively. If this is a case then a business has the best possible chance at success, present and future.