Comparison of Leadership and Management - Essay Example

Leadership and management Introduction Leadership and management are two altogether separate terms that are often used interchangeably. Not many people are exactly aware of the difference of their meanings and the variation in their intrinsic nature and concepts. This partly pertains to the less emphasis that people place on the use of professional language. This paper aims at describing the fundamental concepts of leadership and management and evaluating the potential ways in which the two terms differ from each other. Comparison Motives The most fundamental difference between a leader and a manager is that the former struggles to achieve goals while the latter unites the workforce to achieve objectives. In order to understand this statement, one is required to have a preliminary knowledge of the difference between goals and objectives. Goal is a motive that aims at addressing broader aspects of issues and that is likely to bring about a change or influence in the long run that would have a greater and long-lasting impact on the concerned entities and the environment. On the contrary, objectives are short-term targets that need to be achieved in order to serve the purpose for which the organization or entity functions. It would not be wrong to state that a leader might have to manage either directly or indirectly at times in order to achieve the objectives which contribute to the attainment of his/her goals. Similarly, managers, on the other hand, are occasionally required to lead. “Leaders manage and managers lead, but the two activities are not synonymous”. (Coutts, 2000). The managers follow a described set of rules and regulations in the managerial activities and their authorities and areas of influence are more often than not predefined. Circle of influence The concept of a manager is frequently employed in the organizational structure which defines the roles of managers and the responsibilities associated with their position in the hierarchical management structure of the organization. A manager is supposed to fulfill his/her duties as dictated by the owners of the very organization. In this way, actions and dictations of a manager are predefined and the manager does justice to his/her duties by conforming to the rules laid out by the owners of the organization. Similarly, the area of influence of a manager is defined by the creator of the organizational structure and is not chosen by the manager. Contrary to this, a leader’s area of influence might expand or shrink depending upon the kind of influence the leader has on the followers. A leader is not dictated by a senior to move the following crowd to a certain direction. Leadership is essentially associated with spiritualism and emotions. A leader does not instruct the followers to obey him/her. A leader can not forcefully become a leader. It is, instead, a matter of winning the followers’ hearts in a manner that requires the leader to give more and take less. A leader does not make an appeal to follow him/her. It is a natural set of abilities, warm-heartedness, and immense care and love for the public that the public notices in an individual and declares that individual as its leader. Unlike manager, a leader is not chosen on his/her formal education or experience. Instead, choice of a leader is made upon reflection of the required courage, bravery, wisdom and truth in the personality of the leader. Subordinates may be against a manager but in an organizational setup, they are not able to overtly express their disrespect towards the manager. Hence, a manager is protected by the fundamental organizational norms and the educated culture. On the other hand, people overtly display their liking or disliking for a leader in social circles and public forums. Often, a leader is showered with flowers which almost never happens with a manager. In other cases, people may express their hatred for the leader by throwing stones upon him/her or burning his/her portrait whenever the followers feel betrayed or misled. The radius of the circle of influence of a leader depends much upon the level of satisfaction of the followers which is not the case with a manager. Motivation Managers, as the name implies, manage subordinates while leaders lead the followers. There is a great difference between the psychological underpinnings of the obeying people in either case. Managers are essentially granted power according to their position in the hierarchical management structure prevalent in the culture of an organization. The reason why subordinates obey a manager comes from their need of job and interest in remaining employed in order to earn their living. Whereas, a leader can not forcefully impose his/her views upon the crowd and earns the people’s confidence to make them follow him/her. Risk attitude Since a manager does his/her job remaining within the boundaries of the authority and power vested by the owners in the manager, the attitude of a manager is usually risk averse. A manager would normally try to avoid risks as much as possible in order to ensure smooth working and making the environment more conducive to the generation of intended results. On the other hand, a leader is often risk seeking and is optimistic about the opportunities related with the risks and undermines their threats. A leader believes that big achievements are made by undertaking big risks. Risk attitude of a leader differs significantly from that of a manager and this vastness of difference is usually concerned with the level of power owned by an individual and his/her influence upon the masses. Conclusion “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” (Drucker cited in Wong, 2007). A manager can be creative but all of his/her creativity is meant to polish his/her skills in the best interest of the organization. A leader is independent in his thoughts, vision and ideology and is free to choose a course of action that best suits his/her motives. Although, there is a great difference in the meaning of both terms, yet, a manager might have to lead at some point to get the job done and vice versa. References Coutts, P. (2000,October 1). Leadership Vs. Management. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Calgary. Retrieved from http://www.telusplanet.net/public/pdcoutts/leadership/LdrVsMngt.htm Wong, A. S. L., (2007, July). Leadership vs Management. 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