Leadership vs Management: Understand Key Differences

Leadership and Management are wholly different things leadership is not management, and vice versa. Management dates back to Henry Ford, and scientific management to Frederick Taylor.

Leadership vs Management: Understand Key Differences

Right now, our education system is giving more importance to management education while downplaying the value of leadership. Also, there is a perspective change that treats both management and leadership as the same, which is not a mere reality.

In a general sense, management includes concentrated efforts to determine how to make the system more efficient and effective with proper planning, directing, organizing, and monitoring of the group of people.

What is the difference between leadership and management?

To understand the difference between leadership and management thoroughly, let’s get to know what is leadership and what is management.

Functionality of Management involves around planned tasks and tactics which are performed on a day-day-basis. It is something that lets you go on a designed path to reach a target, the path is generally framed and regulated by the higher authorities.

It specifically revolves around planning, organizing, leading, and controlling processes for its functioning, but the real need in an organization is for goals and strategies with a clear vision. Where there is no map but there is a compass and that compass helps us get from one point to another, it says when we are off track here is where the loop is.

Without a compass, maps don’t work and your job as a leader is to draw the map and then find the volunteers you need to build the team working for the desired goal. 

With leadership, one inherits an excellent quality that makes you different from others and creates a better career opportunity ahead, with time it can be driven to a path of emotional intelligence and higher productivity. Also, it can add a level to your personality which eventually leads you to influence others.

Leadership vs Management – Key Distinctions

BASIS	LEADERSHIP	MANAGEMENT
Distinction based on Attributes	Leadership entails a clear vision of focusing on positive change.  Leaders often work to an end with their full potential, not according to the achievement of the goals set.	On the other hand, Management is a process that works with other processes like planning, organizing, and controlling.  Managers working under the leadership are often treated as employees who must follow through to achieve the goals and objectives proposed by the organization.
The difference in organizing and aligning	Leadership is more concerned with how to harmonize and influence people than how to allocate work to them. They achieve this by assisting individuals.	Unlike this, managers achieve their objectives through coordinated tactical activities and processes. They divide long-term goals into tiny segments and organize available resources to achieve desired outcomes.
Tendency	Leadership is people-oriented.	Management is task-oriented.
Priorities and outcomes	Influencing and Leading people to achieve a common purpose with a clear mindset and to the best of their ability is the main focus of leadership.	The tasks are delegated based on the job description of employees to certain tasks assigned by the top and middle-level authorities to the managers and their subordinates in the specific time period to do the target.

Leaders vs Managers

Furthermore, let’s understand functions of manager and what do leaders do.

Managers need authority to tell people what to do but leaders need to take responsibility they won’t force anyone to do certain tasks with coercion. You can think of a man with a hat who says do this because it is required and leaders are the ones who can say let’s go to do this over there who else wants to come? Leaders are those who insist on taking responsibility.

Under the management, the manager is like a post or a role that is a job in real within an organizational structure working for organizational goals. But in the case of leadership, your actions decide the result.

Being a leader, one reaches a position to influence and inspire others with their actions to add value to something better. It should be considered under the constraint of the job rather it is a quality or skill which can be achieved through constant effort and stepping out for opportunities.

A manager, on the other hand, is a job title with a predefined set of obligations.

There is another distinction between leaders and managers is that a leader asks the questions of “what” and “why”, they let them know the real motive for the work so that they don’t depend on others to get motivated. Whereas a manager often focuses on the questions, of “how” and “when” based on the demand of the higher authorities who regulate the organization.

Leaders Think Ideas Managers Think Execution

While management deals with rationality and control, leadership focuses to improves the quality of the workforce by giving ample opportunities to them and coming up with new ideas to enhance the effectiveness of the organizational structure as a whole.

The point is leadership is similar to the idea of being sometimes wrong and sometimes right you explore the way out of tribulation, it won’t make you a puppet who follows the direction given by someone who wants to take full advantage. Leadership helps you to deal with the constraints of fear. Failures are not impediments in the path of leadership rather they embrace success and it is right to say that if failure is not an option then neither is a success.

Why does Management Fail?

However, there were some situations under which management failed such situations include a period of recession in which a perfect leadership quality helps to survive and sustain. The future can’t be predicted in advance and leaders with their optimistic approach allow businesses to find clues regarding how to move forward as per the change.

What are the new technologies are coming out making more businesses make stringent efforts to move as we move forward into the future.

No matter what world keep changing whether you want it to or not, also it is changing faster than ever before. So, in the face of all that change, we will not be able to manage our way of it without something which can lead us to the change.

The Need for a Process 

Now what we need is a process, a process not about I know the right answer it’s about if I turn it in enough times will work, and how to do it is something that leadership inculcates. What leaders do is find processes what managers do is find roads and something which you are looking for is a process that you can do over and over again, the fuel you need for that is a possibility.

Traits of Managers and Leaders

Traits are the personal quality of any person and both managers and leaders possess these particular ones. So here are some of the traits that each one of them has:

Traits of Managers and Leaders

Leadership and Management Books

Leadership and Management both are skills that cannot be learned by reading just one book but with experience, yes books can be helpful in inheriting some skills and traits. So here are some of the best leadership and management books that can be helpful for both:

Leadership Books	Management Books
Start With Why- by Simon Sinek	The One Minute Manager- by Kenneth Blanchard & Spencer Johnson
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People- by Stephen R. Covey	Turn The Ship Around!- by L. David Marquet
Execution: Discipline of Getting Things Done- by Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan	Leaders Eat Last- by Simon Sinek
The First 90 Days- by Michael Watkins	The Art of War- by Sun Tzu
The Lean Start Yp- by Eric Ries	Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive- by Harvey B. Mackay

Top Leadership and Management Skills

Here are some leadership and management skills, take a look:

Leadership Skills	Management Skills
Empathy, Creativity, and Positivity	Interpersonal Skills
Open Communication	Communication and Motivation
Conflict Resolution	Strategic Thinking and Forward Planning
Providing Feedbacks	Commercial Awareness
Recognizing Potential	Mentoring

Leadership and Management Quotes

Let’s take a look at some of the best leadership and management quotes:

“Best Quotes on Leadership”

• The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. —Max DePree
• Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. —Jack Welch
• To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less. —Andre Malraux

“Best Quotes on Management”

• “The first rule of management is delegation. Don’t try and do everything yourself because you can’t.” — Anthea Turner
• “Good management consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.” — John D. Rockefeller
• “Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could.” — Steve Jobs

Conclusion

So, in this article, you must have learned the fundamental difference between leadership and management and discovered how hard everyone has to work for the success of the company or organization. 

FAQs on Leadership vs Management:

Q1. What comes first, Leadership or Management?

Ans: Both work together and are essential parts of any corporate company. You will have to develop managerial skills along with leadership skills to achieve the targeted goals and get success. 

Q2. Can the same person be both a leader and a manager?

Ans: Yes, an individual can be both – a great leader and a great manager. Although both (leadership and management) require different skills & traits and everyone is not capable of playing both roles perfectly. For instance, it is not necessary that a great leader must be a great manager. 

Q3. Can some lead without management?

Ans: No, leadership cannot be done without good management because managers play a very essential role in a team as they lead and motivate people to work enthusiastically. They follow the vision of the leader and help the frontline employees to work accordingly.