Hi all,
Before going to bed, I wanted to finish this day with some glorious thoughts that may lead to a potential discussion. So the fact that our upcoming class (10/17) will focus on the complexity of employee relations and how leadership style and the changes of style can improve the effectiveness of staff management, I told myself, “before proceeding, I should start by drawing the line between the concepts of leadership and management. Are they the same? Or are they different? Or better yet, how different or similar are these two definitions?” As I was doing some research to answer this question, I bumped into an interesting article I found in the Wall Street Journal. The article begins with a blunt statement “Leadership and management must go hand in hand. They are not the same thing. But they are necessarily linked, and complementary. Any effort to separate the two is likely to cause more problems than it solves.”
Then, in a 1989 book by Warren Bennis “On Becoming a Leader,” the article lays out the following differences in a very clear way:
– The manager administers; the leader innovates.
– The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.
– The manager maintains; the leader develops.
– The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.
– The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.
– The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.
– The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.
– The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader’s eye is on the horizon.
– The manager imitates; the leader originates.
– The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.
– The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.
– The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.
Based on what I’ve learned in class, this makes sense. For instance, in class we have seen the structure of organizations, groups etc. The person at the top usually holds a managerial position, but does that make him a leader? Structure may be the design in which the organization is built upon, but I would say that people are the energy, the spirit that gives life to the organization. Given these thoughts, I can connect it with the following: “manager focuses on system and structure while the leader focuses on people.” Both managers and leaders are some sort of compasses suited for different functions. The manager focuses on the necessary design and builds the road to direct and facilitate the work and the goal of the team. A leader is the one that sparks the necessary spirit to make the organization work appropriately while also keeping a sense of purpose. Without management, a driven team may not have direction, without a leader, a well-deigned structure may not have the power for which it was built for in the first place. Just like “management go hand in hand” I think structure and people go hand in hand as well. If we have two concepts, therefore I believe that there is a relationship between these two actions, there’s got to be an interesting balance between the two. Too much focus on the structure may create a negative bureaucracy, compromising the efficiency of the institution, while too much focus on the people may create conflict and unnecessary politics. These are thoughts that came up to mind, and I will appreciate anyone who can bring their own thoughts. Whether there is an agreement of disagreement, anything is appreciated!
Thanks a lot, best always!
Andres
This is a very interesting topic because in some cases a manager is a leader and other cases a manager isn’t necessarily a leader. I think you were right on the money with saying, “A manager focuses on system and structure while the leader focuses on people.” One prime example is if you take the NBA team like the San Antonio Spurs. Gregg Popovich is their head coach and is like the manager of their organization. He focuses on the structure, system, and tactics to produce the best way of operating the team. In terms of leaders for the team, their veteran players Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are looked up to and make the players around them better and try harder.
I also agree with your comment on the balance between focusing on structure and people. I feel focusing too much on the structure may neglect the people and focusing too much on the people may mess up the system, so ultimately I think you need leaders and managers to make an organization run smoothly.
Andres I love the fact that you are able to distinguish between the two but also include how one function needs the other. For instance when we were speaking on the American Red Cross. I believe the person they had in position to lead the group seemed ill equipped to do so and so the whole team suffers. However, is it because her manager was not able to give her the necessary training or tools she needed to be successful. You can complete all the necessary documents, follow most of the rules and still not have and understanding of the problem and/or solution based on your interpretation. Do we interpret things as we actually see them or based on our past experiences and how does this affect our management or leadership style? In a nursing book I read when I thought about having a facility where people who were physically and mentally ill could come for holistic care, there was a chapter on Leadership and management do they go together or are they separate? This has stayed with me for quite a bit of time and is one of the reasons I am in this class now. The crucial advice for leaders or managers depending on your role in the organization was that you cannot see leadership as merely one role of management nor management as only one role of leadership. They view the two as equally important and necessarily integrated. The belief they had was that it is a Critical Triad of Decision Making, Management, and Leadership, you have to be able to differentiate between problem solving, decision making, and critical thinking, explore strengths and limitations to initiate problem solving and decision making.
I want to be able to follow this quote by Theodore Roosevelt whether I am a Owner, Manager, or Leader…
… in any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.
—THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Barbara
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