What does it takes to be a leader? How does leadership correlates with management? Can managing be also at the same time leading? There has been much debate on this topic, particularly regarding its role and contribution in attaining success toward a vision and common goal of an organization. Leadership and management are seen very differently by diverse people. Some individuals see these terms as synonyms and often use them interchangeably throughout phrases and sentences. Others consider them as extreme opposite, so extreme; in fact, that they would argue that you cannot be a good manager and a good leader at the same time. Leaders focus more on people, while managers focus more about processes and systems. They both have goals and expectations. The key difference is that leaders make their own, while managers follow the goals and expectations of a leader making sure that it’s on the right track.
I see management as a skill or knowledge you obtained, something that you can learn and practice. Whereas, leadership is a talent that can be honed and nurtured. I think a manager’s ability to be great rests on inherent leadership proficiency coupled with a great plan that is in line with the goals to be taken along the way as any problem arises. Leaders focus is on aligning the people involved in meeting and understanding the vision and making sure that the people are committed to it.
According to John Kotter, “Strong leadership with weak management is not good and is sometimes actually worse than the reverse. The real challenge is to merge efficient leadership and effective management and use each to balance the other. One is not better than the other as both are essential for success. Knowing and understanding the relationship of the two will help managers to lead and get clarity about what is expected of them so they can be successful managers and leaders in their positions.
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