Guide

Leadership Vs Management

People usually consider leadership and management as the same thing, but the fact is they are very different. This article will discuss the real essence of these two terms and the distinguishing features that make them different from one another.

Leadership is about encouraging and motivating people to understand and believe in the vision that is set for the company and to work to achieve the predefined goals. While management is about managing the work to make sure that the planned activities are getting done as they should be. So, this means that leaders have people to follow them, while managers have people that simply work for them. It’s debatable that can leadership skills be developed through training? Or it’s gifted. To make any business successful, both managers and leaders play an integral part. A company needs managers that can plan, organize, and direct its staff and at the same time, it also needs leaders that can inspire and motivate its employees to perform to the best of their ability. Thus, we can say Leadership is all about “Inspiration” and management is about “Planning”.

Now let us individually analyze the depth of these two terms and see the qualities demanded by them.

Qualities of a Good Leader:

Just like kingdoms, Companies can rise and fall with time, but some last for ages, and leadership is the secret. Leaders set a vision of what to achieve and then communicate it to others. They formulate strategies to realize this vision. Great leaders are the influencers and motivators who aspires their employees to believe in the vision and give in the best of their efforts. A great leader also leads innovation in the company. Leadership skills focus on a potential change by creating direction and aligning people. Leaders test the current position and encourage new functions, so this means they are always looking to achieve long-term goals.

A good leader consists of the following qualities:

Qualities of a Good Manager:

Management involves persuading people to do things to accomplish a goal. It consists of controlling a group of entities so that they can play their part in making a successful business. Managers must ensure that the resources available for a business are well organized and used optimally to get maximum output, they also make sure that the resources are utilized in the best possible way to produce the best results for the business. They are also responsible for maintaining a smoothly functioning workplace.

A good manager must possess the following abilities.

• Honesty
• Communication skills
• Decisiveness
• Confidence
• Responsibility
• Empathy
• Focus
• Creativity

Similarities Between Leadership and Management:

Leadership and management tips both have some similarities as well. They are mentioned below.

• Managers and leaders both focus on improving the progress of a company
• They both formulate strategies and take into consideration the future prospects
• They are both responsible for communicating strategies and changes within a company
• Both the leaders and managers can unlock the true potential of its employee

Distinguishing Differences Between Leaders and Managers:

The main difference between the two that is often overlooked is Leadership is involved in leading a group of people while Managers are only concerned with the responsibility of managing the tasks. For example, IT, money, advertising, etc. Influence and Inspiration are the two main features that separate leaders from managers and not power and control.

An exemplary Leader: “Quaid-e-Azam”

It takes a lifetime to realize your dreams but to achieve a dream of millions; it is a feat that only a few can dare to perform in the whole of mankind. Quaid-e-Azam was one of a few fine leaders of the world who manifested the dreams of millions of Muslims by creating Pakistan. His abilities and skills with which he fought for an independent state will always be a source of inspiration for others. He was the finest implementer of law and a symbol of great governance. He stood firm to achieve his goal through thick and thin, he remained perseverant and vigilant and faced opposition with strength and courage. He fought with reasons and logic to bring the dream into reality.

Jacinda Ardern

the Prime Minister of New Zealand has sealed her rank as a great leader by steering her country through crucial circumstances. Her administration in handling difficult conditions faced by the country was exceptional.

Some more examples of the World’s great leaders are Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, and Mary Barra is the chairman and CEO of General Motors Company.

Warren Buffet-A Unique Manager:

Warren Edward Buffet is an American business tycoon and investor. He is currently the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He introduced a “laissez-faire” managerial style in managing his company. In this style, the employees can carry out tasks freely without much direction from leaders.

Steve Jobs CO-founder of Apple was a well-known micromanager. Ruslan Kogan of Kogan.com and Richard Branson of Virgin group are more examples of famous managers.

Conclusion:

For any business to be successful both leadership and management are crucial and have their own significance. If there is no leader, there is no direction and no unity in a vision. Without managers, Teams will be unable to perform tasks efficiently or achieve the goals of a company. Therefore, leadership and management must go hand in hand. Though they are not the same thing but are closely linked and complement one another. Great managers turn out to be Great Leaders in the future and Great Leaders can be efficient managers as well. So, any effort to separate these two terms in a business can cause problems. For a Successful business, management is required to plan and organize and direct its staff, while leadership is also vital in inspiring and motivating the employees to give their best.

We hope you find this article useful in identifying the differences between leadership and management.

Posted by

Alex Jones

Education