Comparison of a leader and a manager - Essay Example

Comparison of a leader and a manager “Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent” (Northouse) whereas management can be defined as “the process of getting activities completed efficiently and effectively with and through other people” (Gulick & Urwick). This essay will explain the differences and similarities between a leader and a manager. One obvious difference is the focus of discussion here.

The leaders focus on people but the managers focus on structures and systems. According to (Chase), leaders work with people to achieve a common purpose. Other areas of difference between leader and manager involve issues of an individual's views of the organization. When a leader looks in the bigger picture, he thinks about the way an organization functions and the processes that are used in various areas. Besides, a leader thinks about ways to make the organizational processes more cost effective and efficient.

On the other hand, a manager looks into the micro picture that covers his area of responsibilities. In addition to that, there is difference in the motivation level and control between a leader and a manager. According to (Nielson), a leader sets new and unique direction. Therefore, he should be able to justify the changes he suggests and show the validity of his approach. A manager helps in the application of ideas suggested by a leader and is responsible to make sure that the assigned tasks are completed by employees in time.

In spite of these differences, a leader and a manager apparently share several important responsibilities. Both make heads of a team and coordinate teams to reach a goal. A final similarity between the two is that both exchange information in order to plan and direct. To sum up, leader and manager are much different, and yet alike. Although they differ in many areas such as people out look and motivation, they have several points in common. Furthermore, it can be said that both seek success.