Management And Leadership Application Papers

Introduction

The terms “leaders” and “managers” have for a long time been some of the most commonly used in the business world. This should, of course, underline the importance or fundamental nature of individuals that hold these titles as far as the success and sustainability of the business entities is concerned (Goldsmith et al, 2003). While these terms are often used synonymously, leaders and managers are two distinctive individuals for whom there is no overlap.

First, managers rule while leaders are simply followed. Managers have to obtain their positions of authority through loyalty and time dedicated to the success of the business entity rather than as a result of their leadership qualities whereas may, in fact, incorporate no organizational skills but uses his vision to unite the people behind him. Leaders are people who naturally follow or go through with their choices whereas managers have to be obeyed.

In addition, there are variations in perspectives between the two individuals. While managers have incremental thinking, leaders often have radical thoughts. Scholars note that managers do things in the right manner whereas leaders strive to do the right thing (Goldsmith et al, 2003). This statement underlines the fact that managers strive to do things in line with the rules and the policies of the business entity whereas leaders often have to follow their own intuition, which, in fact, may be more beneficial to the business entity. Leaders are more emotional than managers, which explains why individuals are more inclined to follow leaders than managers especially considering that people, more often than not, follow their emotions than intelligence (Goldsmith et al, 2003). More often than not, leaders stand out by exhibiting differences between them and others. They would question known conventions, as well as assumptions usually made while seeking truth and making decisions on the basis of fact rather than prejudice. In most cases, they have an incredible preference for creativity and innovation.

In addition, management is usually made up of individuals that have particular experience in the field in question and who, more often than note, have worked through the various stages in the business entity to get to those positions of authority (Goldsmith et al, 2003). Managers usually have perfect knowledge as to the operations and functioning of each layer in the system, not to mention that they may possess incredible technical knowledge pertaining to the same (Goldsmith et al, 2003). This is different from leaders who, while they may possess knowledge about the operations and functionality of the various layers, may be new arrivals in the business entity who have bold, creative and fresh ideas even though they may not be incredibly experienced.

Characteristics of Future Leaders

The importance of leaders in organizations can never be gainsaid. They are usually responsible for the execution of specific tasks in organizations or entities. It goes without saying that leaders must possess certain characteristics in order to lead (Marquis & Huston, 2009). However, changing times call for a change in the traits so that leaders can adjust or adapt to the new requirements. This underlines the fact that future leaders will need to have particular traits.

First, future leaders will need to be incredibly visionary. Studies by the Harvard Business Review over the past several years show that almost half of the individuals in management have no trust in the senior leadership (Goldsmith et al, 2003). They do not believe that the leaders have credible plans nor do they have confidence in the ability of the leaders to carry out these plans. However, leaders of the future will need to come up with ways in which they can articulate their visions so as to gain support from the followers.

In addition, leaders of the future will need to be adaptable to changes. Business environments are changing at a more rapid pace than in the past (Armstrong & Stephens, 2005). This is especially with regard to innovation, technology and the opportunities that are coming up every now and then. Leaders of the future will need strategic flexibility to adapt, as well as change mid-course (Armstrong & Stephens, 2005). They will need to persistently monitor and review programs, products, markets and new technologies and adapt accordingly so as to remain relevant in the market.

In addition, future leaders will need to have high levels of integrity. Recent times have seen some undesirable events in the business arena involving business entities such as WorldCom and Enron. These have demonstrated how lapses in integrity may result in the bankruptcy of benchmark companies. This has, therefore, forced followers to demand integrity so that they can believe in their visions.

Moreover, it is imperative that future leaders possess preparation and risk management traits. In some cases, employees do not outline potential risks fearing the disruption of business. However, future leaders will need to be open and implement risk management to prepare everyone for unforeseen crisis (Armstrong & Stephens, 2005).

Lastly, future leaders will need communication and networking skills (Marquis & Huston, 2009). Creation of formal and informal networks would assist future leaders comprehend the true perceptions of their followers, which would then boost their performance, as well as reduce inefficiencies. Industry is developed through developing informal social circles, networking groups and customer relationships (Marquis & Huston, 2009).

References

Goldsmith, M., Greenberg, C., Robertson, A & Hu-Chan, M (2003). Global Leadership: The Next Generation. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2009). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Armstrong, M., & Stephens, T. (2005). A handbook of management and leadership: A guide to managing for results. London: Kogan Page.

Beerel, A. C. (2009). Leadership and change management. Los Angeles: SAGE.