Leader and Manager

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Management and leadership are often confused to mean the same thing, but they are not the same. Leadership often involves setting new directions or a vision for people to follow. On the other hand, management is more about controlling or directing people and resources in line with already established values or principles (Copeland, 1997).

Managers are known to be formal and rational while leaders take on a passionate and emotional approach. An effective manager follows the organization’s vision. On the other hand, effective leaders are known to have the ability to forge the vision for the organization. Leaders are vision-oriented as they think about the future but managers are process oriented as they think about how the organization will run effectively. An effective leader knows how to protect their staff and motivate them to achieve organization goals, but managers are known to protect themselves (Nibley, Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies., & Brigham Young University, 1988).

In approaching decisions, an effective leader will do so actively; a leader is a decision maker who should not be hesitant to make a decision in any respect. However, effective managers give a cautious approach to decisions. They are dependent on their supervisors and other parties in making decisions. Effective managers listen selectively; their decision making involves selected staff or employees. In contrast, an effective leader will listen to all staff members and take their opinions very seriously. Another important trait of effective leaders is that they deal with conflicts, unlike managers who always avoid involvement in a conflict.

Both effective leaders and managers must be able to influence others, work with other people, and be effective in managing goals. Moreover, the two groups of individuals should possess traits of honesty, forward-thinking, and competency. An effective leader should demonstrate good management skills so that they are able to operationalize their visions. Leadership skills help managers in motivating their teams (Copeland, 1997).

It is possible that one is an effective manager without necessarily being a good leader. For example, a manager who is able to achieve all their set goals without involving their employees excels in management but is poor in leadership in that they do not recognize the input of their employees or staff. On the other hand, one can be a good leader but poor in management. For example, a leader can have a very good vision good vision for their organization, but this does not necessarily imply that they possess the necessary management skills to bring the vision into an operational state.

In terms of differences in management styles between male and female managers, various styles differentiate them. Women tend to use emphatically, relational and socially intuitive management styles. On the other hand, men managers tend to adopt an assertive, and aggressive. The fact that male and female managers adopt different management styles means that organization objectives are met in different ways. Female managers are more close to the employees and are able to identify more with them than the male counterparts (Burke, & Collins, 2001).

Both male and female managers are known to adopt participative styles of management, the use of personal authority to in management, and setting objectives formally. Participative management means that employees will be involved in decision making, but the level of involvement is higher in females than males, which makes the females managers more likeable. The other impact of the similarities in management styles is that when an order is given, it cannot be questioned. In addition, these management styles make it easy to motivate employees and make them work hard to achieve the objectives of the organization.

References

Burke, S., & Collins, K. M. (2001). Gender differences in various leadership styles and management skills. Women in Management Review, 16(5), 244-257.

Copeland, K. I. (January 01, 1997). Leadership versus management. Canadian Emergency News.

Nibley, H., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies., & Brigham Young University. (1988). Leadership versus management. Provo, Utab: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (F.A.R.M.S.) in association with Brigham Young University.