Leadership & Management: What's the Difference?

Discussion boards all over the internet debate the difference between leadership and management. What is the difference between leading and managing? Can managers lead? Can leaders manage? Are they both essentially the same?

Based on my experience and research, I believe the following:

• Leaders teach people how to think. Managers tell people what to do.
• Leaders challenge the status quo. Managers maintain the status quo.
• Leaders have followers. Managers have subordinates.
• Not all leaders are managers. Not all managers are leaders.

While there are differences between leaders and managers, both are necessary and complimentary in organizations. Both exist to serve others. In my next few posts we'll discuss these statements in greater detail, so stay tuned!

What are your thoughts or experiences about leadership and management? Where do you fit in to the equation? Please leave your thoughts in a comment and let's start some discussion!

Comments

[David Fletcher]

I have been an assistant Manager for a Quik Trip for a while now. My position has me going to new stores all the time to fill for vacations and sick days. Once I learned to ask the level of experience of my staff that day; let them know what was expected for the shift; then make suggestions as necessary I was received a lot more positively. Please and thank you go a long way even when the request is not really an option for the employee.

[Cynthia]

Great topic. I agree with your assessment on the difference between leading and managing. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not make a distinction but there is a huge difference to me.

I think a leader can be anyone in the organization but a manager has been selected by the organization to implement its policies and procedures. Therefore, it can be diffult for managers to lead, especially anything that changes the status quo.

Several years ago, I came across the notion of leading from second chair from a book called "The Art of Possibility." It's when I started understanding the difference between leader and manager.

[Lee T. Pasquarella]

Janna, This is a very interesting topic and one that has generated a ton of articles and books over several decades. I am a search consultant and have recruited and hired both managers and leaders over the past 20 years. It seems to me that there are big differences between managers and leaders. Leaders lead people, managers manage systems, policies, and procedures. I do not think managers mantain the status quo but rather attempt to do what we do now better. Leaders are needed to help us do different things.

[Dan Ross]

In my career I experienced progressively responsible positions where the amount of organization resources and staff under my direction increased geometrically. In these managerial positions I was charged with deploying,providing and protecting resources to accomplish the mission and objectives of the entity. When I became CIO for the state of Missouri my job was to create a vision, lead change, mentor and coach managers to help them catch that vision, lead and champion the formal strategic planning process, charter and unleash teams and celebrate individual and organizational successes. Quite a different role from that of the managerial positions I formerly held.

[twitter.com/davidburkus]

Good post. Buckingham had another good differentiation: Managers optimize people's strengths, while leaders rally them to a better future.

[Jim Lowery]

I read your article and immediately thought of Dr. Michael Diamond, who was my "Mentor Professor"(even if he did not know this relationship; a prized title for sure!). His work at MU and his insight was truly an eye opening experience for me durning my MPA program at MU. We talked about the "Paranoid Organization" and I always think about that book when I think of "Leadership" and "Manager" and what a difference those types of people have on promoting change and the opportunites we all have to impact our own worlds in any size organization--truly the difference between doing and watching.

[Carl Dierschow]

I think you've done a good job of capturing the contrasts between the two roles. However, this can lead us to conclude that the two roles are mutually exclusive - how can one both challenge and maintain the status quo?

So it's also fruitful to explore:
* An individual manager/leader will switch between these two modes, based on what is needed to meet the larger goals.
* You might be acting as a leader with respect to some things, and as a manager for others.

This is where the real art of leadership comes in: knowing how and when to apply both leadership and management, and the array of skills which support them, in order to bring about the best balanced results.

[Michael Gonzalez]

Well this is interesting, the following is my take on leaders and managers. There is a stark difference between managers and leaders and in particular those of us that bring the best of both military and civilian leadership.

There are four types of people:

Those who watch things happen
Those who let things happen
Those who ask what happened
Those who make things happen

Leaders are those who make things happen. Managers are the other three. Leaders are those who master the context, managers are those who surrender to it. Leaders were managers on their way to leadership. Not all managers become leaders.

The manager is a copy, the leader is an original.

The manager maintains, the leader develops.

The manager focuses on systems and structure, the leader focuses on people.

The manager relies on control, the leader inspires trust.

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 eyes on the bottom line; the leader has his eyes on the horizon.

The manager imitates, the leader originates.

The manager accepts the status-quo, the leader challenges it.

The manager is the classical good soldier; the leader is his own person.

The manager does things right, the leader does the right thing.

The important thing is that all leaders need to be good managers before they are leaders. Part of that management is knowing your resources and using them effectively. Leadership is most definitely not about position but rather about influence. I have seen many leaders in my time that do not hold the position of leadership. Not all leaders are good. Communist leaders of the old Russia were not good yet they were leaders non the less. Research will most definitely confirm the fact that American business in generally is over managed and under led. Lastly leadership is not about things, its about people. A leader is to take all of his/her experience, expertise, and his/her gift and use them for the benefit of those that have been placed in the leader's care. Leadership is not about self, its about everyone else.

Thank you

This is from a post I did on LinkedIn on the same subject by Jana Rust.

[Janna Rust]

Lots of great comments here, folks! I could make blog posts out of each of these. :)Thanks for participating! I'll try to respond to everyone below, if I neglect someone, it isn't intentional:

David F. - You are definitely a leader with a kind heart. A trait that serves both leaders and managers. Thanks for sharing how you've treated people with kindness.

Cynthia - I think a leader can be anyone too. Lots of formal leaders exist in every group, organization, family unit, etc. Your comment about "leading from the second chair" is a good example of that. We could all benefit by that book,"The Art of Possibility"!

Lee - I like your distinction about managers "attempt to do what we do now better". I suppose they too can challenge the status quo, just not on such a grand scale as the bolder leaders do. These types of managers also lead in some way. Good thoughts.

Dan R.- You've definitely held some positions that have used your leadership skills. You are a change agent! Lead on!

David B. - Great concise differention. I like that leaders "rally". Leaders do inspire.

Jim L. - Hello to my fellow MU alumnus! I'm intrigued by the "Paranoid Organization" and wondering how that might figure in with how trust or the absence thereof impacts teamwork (from Lencioni's "Five Dysfunctions of a Team")

Carl - Leadership is an art sometimes. Great mention of how we need to shift between leading & managing. Thanks!

Michael - Wow...you've got a lot of thoughts here. All are quotable!

[Garry Duncan]

I feel there is a lot of overlap needed at times but the rule I use to keep them clear is managers get people to do the right things right and leaders inspire them to want to do them. Before anyone follows a leader they first have to buy into the person and then their cause.