The Difference Between Leaders and Managers

A classic debate in leadership education and training circles has been about the difference between leadership and management. Navy Admiral Grace Hopper said, for example: “You manage things, you lead people.” Is it as simple as that? Let’s take a look at both of these key terms for business professionals, and begin with their definitions.

Defining Leaders and Managers

Leadership has been defined as “the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of organizations of which they are members.”

Management has been defined as “directing and controlling a group of one or more people for the purpose of coordinating or harmonizing that group towards accomplishing a goal.”

There are striking differences.

Leading From The Front

Leaders begin with a vision. They are keenly engaged in the present – motivating their organization to do the very best, to bring about success, but they are also future oriented. They have in their mind a vision and they are adept at communicating that vision to their teams to gain ownership and buy-in. Visions are the end states of any organization. What is it we want to accomplish over time – to be the best, the most productive, the most profitable in business?

Leaders also embrace change. In this era of monumental, continuous, explosive change, especially in the information technology domain (e.g., Moore’s Law), change is the principal constant. The capacity to embrace change is essential for leader. Adaptation is a central trait of an accomplished leader – the ability to tailor the mission, the personnel, the resources based on continuous change, always aiming at that future state.

Part of a leader’s responsibility is to change standards and policies when it is important for the organizational path to that vision. Today’s mission can change rapidly. A good leader knows how to adjust accordingly, knows the strengths and weaknesses of the team, and knows how to motivate them to all row in the same direction as conditions change.

Leaders can even be a positive disruptive influence when the organization needs change. They take assessed risk – not gambles – to improve the team’s performance. They create the conditions for success based on the mission and the vision and lead their teams onward in the face of dynamic change. They also lead by example – doing first and visibly what they would expect anyone on their organization to do. They lead from the front.

Finally leaders confront, lead, anchor, and manage change in a continuous cycle. They do this while looking out for the health of their people and while always looking for ways to improve the organization. They earn the trust of their teams through their compassion, charisma, and competence. They have followers.

Managing The Mission

Managers are mission focused. They attend to the day-to-day requirements of an organization to keep it going on time, on azimuth, in accordance with the standing polices of the leadership. They also care for and know their teams, but their focus is more on getting the daily task accomplished to the highest possible standard IAW the status quo.

Managers aim to reduce risk, they are the stable force of authority wed to corporate policy. They have the strength of will power and analysis, and are often creative near term problem solvers.

They often mange by a combination of some consensus and more direction, and they focus on keeping systems in working order. They are all about sustaining a positive status quo that brings measurable results. They embrace order and policies, and reward adherence to standards. They are more directive, and gain authority through positional power. They have subordinates.

Can You Be Both? Should You Be Both?

The two models are similar. Successful leaders can also be successful managers. Those who possess both capacities in a complementary manner will likely bring the greatest success to any organization.

Peter Drucker wisely put it this way: “Leadership is doing the right things; management is doing things right.”

Comments from David H. Huntoon, Jr.

It is important to offer a ‘disclaimer’ of sorts. This content was generated from my own thoughts and personal experiences combined with ideas of general literature on the topics of Leadership and Management. The value of this academic comparison is reinforced if you consider the following steps:

• Use this information to create a scorecard where you evaluate yourself or a key person in your organization. What traits do they have that better fit a leadership role or management role?
• How can that role be empowered to best help the organization achieve success AND sustain the individual’s personal goals?

If your organization is challenged with this very situation and is having difficulty finding a solution, contact me today. I can help you.

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