Management vs. Leadership free essay sample

Management vs. Leadership Management and leadership functions are definitely not one and the same, although they are unavoidably linked together hand and hand. Evidently, it is clear to note that they overlap and compliment one another. Having one without the other no doubt will cause more problems than it solves. Yet the two indefinitely have their major differences. To start, a manager manages tasks and systems, while a leader leads and inspires people. â€Å"The manager’s job is to plan, organize and coordinate. The leader’s job is to inspire and motivate. (Murray, 2010). Management Management as a concept was developed in the last 100 years partly due to the booming industrial revolution. â€Å"The definition of management is to exercise executive, administrative, and supervisory direction of a group or organization. † (Ricketts, 2009). Management goals are to accomplish tasks and master routines. Different personal levels of skillsets – technical, hu man and conceptual – are key to achieving effective management. We will write a custom essay sample on Management vs. Leadership or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Technical skills are obviously necessary to be proficient and comprehensive. Human skills, also called people skills, are necessary to broaden the manager’s perceptiveness and awareness to the group or organization. Lastly, conceptual skills are required to bring focus on ideas and innovations. Each of these skills is part of the formula for effective management. As a manager, producing order and consistency is automatically expected. Planning, budgeting, staffing, establishing rules and procedures are some of the responsibilities managers face. In a management role, detailed steps and timetables to achieve results are established. The human network a manager would develop would be based on organization and staffing, delegating responsibility and authority to carrying out a plan, providing policies and procedures to guide people, and constructing systems to monitor implementation. Ultimately, a manager would create a certain degree of predictability and order. Leadership Leadership is an age-old concept that has been ongoing for centuries. It is complex and compelling and can be defined as â€Å"a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. (Ricketts, 2009) Additionally, leaders are expected to venture out and challenge their current process. It is critical for leaders to constantly search for ways to improve and take initiatives. Thus, enabling others to act, while encouraging partnerships and building trust. This process of improvement can be quite challenging. It is easy for people to become disheartened and to give up, which is why model leaders understand the importance to genuinely strengthen and encourage the heart and spirit of their unit. The leadership process involves establishing a common direction, a future vision, and strategies to achieve that vision. The human network a leader would develop would be based on aligning people, thus creating a team that shares the same goal and agree on the same strategies. To execute their plans, leaders motivate and inspire others to overcome obstacles. In time, leaders will successfully produce the much desired change and meet the unit’s shared goal. Similarities, Differences and Overlap There are as many similarities between management and leadership as there are differences. Both roles influence others, both work with people and society, both help to establish their surrounding moral climate and culture, and both work towards effectively managing a goal. Yet there are plenty of differences that show the two are distinct from one another. While the manager administers, the leader innovates; one maintains, while the other develops. Managers focus on systems, structure and routine, while leaders focus on people. One controls, while the other inspires trust; one accepts the status quo and does things right, while the other challenges the status quo and does the right thing. Murray, 2010). Nevertheless, both these roles overlap and should not be separated. Like leaders, managers also have the ability to influence a group of individuals to meet their shared goals. Management combined with leadership can help achieve a planned systematic change. These instances describe a manager operating under leadership. On the opposite end, when leaders participate in plann ing, organizing, and staffing, they are operating within management. (Murray, 2010). Leadership combined with management can keep groups and organizations appropriately aligned with its environment. Today we are in a new economy, where the ultimate value lies in our knowledge workers; where management and leadership can no longer be separated in both analysis and practice. In the words of social ecologist, Peter Drucker, with the rise of the knowledge worker, â€Å"one does not ‘manage’ people†¦ The task is to lead people. And the goal is to make productive the specific strengths and knowledge of every individual. † (Murray, 2010). Managers today are not just expected to assign a task, but also to define a purpose. They are not just expected to organize staffing and maximize efficiency, but also to nurture skills, encourage innovation, and inspire results. Managers are expected to become leaders. In conclusion, both management and leadership functions must be connected in order to maximize its effectiveness. As U. S. Navy Admiral, Grace Hopper, pointed out, â€Å"you cannot manage men into battle. You manage things; you lead people. † (1986). â€Å"With the mastery of each of these skills and behaviors, one can successfully navigate the fields of both management and leadership.