Every company needs to be run in a balanced manner which requires the joint efforts of numerous professionals working together efficiently. Leadership and management are two components of every business that often become confused by people, but it is important to draw a clear distinction between them and recognize their unique features. Essentially, despite sharing similarities, such as the orientation towards improvement, leaders and managers have many differences.
It is reasonable to start with the features of leadership and management, which are similar. First of all, both leaders and managers occupy the higher levels in every company and thus are in charge of numerous people (Cole, 2018). As a result, they provide guidance to the subordinates and communicate their ideas to them. Additionally, one of the primary tasks of managers and leaders is undertaking efforts to make the company they work for more effective and improve its operations and processes (Blomberg, 2020). For instance, they both engage in the creation of various strategies, which the company eventually starts to adhere to, as well as policies that guide it. Finally, leadership and management roles in all companies require similar sets of skills and knowledge such as professionalism, commitment to the achievement of goals, determination, and expertise in relevant business fields.
At the same time, leaders and managers have numerous differences which are easily noticeable. Although they both participate in running the company, managers primarily engage in the building of the core business structure and distribution of responsibilities among all employees (Blomberg, 2020). Leaders, in turn, do not build but develop and convey their organizational vision to the managers, create the overall direction for the business, and communicate their ideas to employees. Another set of tasks that are unique to managers includes making plans, ensuring that there are enough employees and they are properly trained, organizing, and monitoring the company’s performance (Cole, 2018). Leaders need to listen to the ideas of others, maintain professional and prolific relationships with their team, and thus gain and share knowledge based on which managers will engage in the aforementioned tasks.
Another important aspect of leadership and management is that the authority of leaders stems from the trust and belief of their followers, while managers’ authority comes from their positions. In other words, companies can replace their managers, but they always need a leader who will offer their unique vision, which will lead the business to success. In this sense, managers only make the vision of leaders a reality because they know how to organize a well-functioning company (Blomberg, 2020). At the same time, leaders need to earn the trust of their followers, be able to inspire them, and make them believe in their vision.
Leadership and management are essential elements for every business, and it is vital to understand their similarities and differences. Leadership is more focused on the development of a vision that guides all operations of the company and can inspire people to persevere and work together to achieve it. Management is tasked with the creation of a properly-functioning organizational structure and distribution of responsibilities among employees, which are important to achieve the leader’s vision.
References
Blomberg, J. (2020). Organization theory: Management and leadership analysis. Sage.
Cole, K. (2018). Leadership and management: Theory and practice. Cengage.
