As a person who makes their living in the field of leadership, I can tell you without any doubt that “Leadership” is different than “Management.” While there seems to be a never-ending stream of politically correct pontificating in corporate circles about the differences between managers and leaders, most of it misses the mark. Leaders and managers play different roles and have different purposes. They both are unique in their value, and in their contribution. While most of the commentary I have read on Leadership vs. Management attempts to please all constituencies, those of you who have read my work in the past know that I am rarely politically correct, nor do I ever seek to try and please all the people all the time.
While there is clearly a need for both managers and leaders in the business world, and while I respect and have developed close friendships with many a manager, this author simply believes that the law of scarcity applies to the topic at hand. There is an infinitely greater supply of managers causing a much greater demand for leaders. Put simply, because leaders are much more difficult to come by, they are therefore more valuable to the enterprise.
The paragraph above begs the question why are there fewer leaders than managers? I believe it is largely for one of three reasons:
The intrinsic quality of leadership often begins with nothing more than raw talent and a certain state of mind. To possess the innate qualities of a leader is however not the same thing as being a leader. As important as your DNA is, effective leadership skills are developed and refined by time, experience, and a true desire to be more than just a manager…the desire to be a true leader.
Let’s breakdown the DNA of a typical leader A leader is usually a very creative, dynamic, outgoing, and unflappable individual. They tend to think big picture focusing on vision and strategy while looking to make a long-term impact. By way of contrast let’s examine the DNA of a manager. Managers are usually more analytical while focusing on process and procedure looking to make short-term contributions. Two key points of distinction between leaders and managers are that leaders attend to the needs of the enterprise with a focus on the future, while managers attend to the needs of individuals with a focus on the present.
We have all witnessed companies that have been over-managed in the absence of leadership. When leadership has been abdicated to management in a corporate setting you will always find that growth slows, morale declines, creativity wanes, and the competitive edge is weakened. That being said, I have personally experienced the value of true leadership at every stage of my life from the athletic playing field, to the military battleground, to the corporate boardroom. Let’s look at an example of the value of leadership from each of the three areas:
I want to be clear that I am not “anti” management. I am however very “pro” leadership when it comes to optimizing the talent factor in any organization. My bias toward leadership doesn’t mean that I don’t understand the principles behind such truisms as: “there is no “I” in team” or, “the sum of the parts is greater than the whole” or that “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” Rather it simply means that I believe you achieve a much greater return on human capital with investments made into leadership due to the scope and scale of the impact that a leader can make. The bottom line is that I prefer to lead rather than manage, and to be led rather than to be managed.
The trick is to invest in your managers such that they embrace and adopt leadership traits and characteristics. The strongest organizations apply for leadership development programs across the enterprise to enrich the quality and productivity of their workforce. The simple truth of the matter is that if you don’t develop leaders from within you won’t have depth or scale to your organization as it applies to leadership. A bonus is always hidden when you come across a great leader who happens to possess strong management skills as well…
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