For many years, a leader and a manager were basically the same role. You managed (or led) a team towards success. In some cases that meant more efficiency, more sales, or more happy customers. Regardless, the basic idea was similar and there was not much of a differentiation.
These days, the world of work has changed. We’ve seen the rise of great leaders who possess more than a great knowledge of their own discipline, but rather people skills, or how some people call them, “soft skills”.
So, is there now a difference between leadership and management?
“You manage things, you lead people”
What Is Management?
Management, or a manager’s role, is to organize and supervise a particular group within a company, project, or department within a business. A manager’s extent of responsibility often depends on their level within a company and they typically fall into one of four categories:
- Top-level managers, such as CEOs (we’ll come back to this!).
- Middle managers, such as heads of departments.
- First-line managers, such as office managers.
- Team managers, such as project managers and team leaders.
Regardless of the level within the company a manager works in, they are usually accountable for carrying out the four core functions of management. These core functions are:
- Controlling.
- Planning.
- Organizing.
What Is Leadership?
Leadership, or a leader, is a manager and so much more; they also mentor, coach and lead their team to be the best version of themselves, they consider the well-being of the wider team as well as individuals on the team, they resolve conflicts and ensure the team is heading in the right direction.
They may also control, organize and plan, but they go beyond that and use their emotional intelligence to lead the group of people they are responsible for at work.
What Are The Key Differences Between A Leader And A Manager?
Just because someone is a good manager, this doesn’t guarantee they’ll be a good leader.
The first key difference regards innovation; leaders envision routes for future growth, including where the business currently stands and how team members could contribute to reaching prospective goals. In contrast, whereas managers may have goals for the company, they are often constrained by practical issues such as budget and structures.
The second key difference lies in how the person asks questions. You can think of a leader as someone who considers not just the “what” but more of the “why”. This type of question illustrates how leaders often see things in terms of the “big picture,” whereas managers have to consider the day-to-day running of a business. Just consider a CEO you admire, maybe from your own business, or maybe from an external company. They are naturally concerned with the budget, how the company is structured and controlling aspects of the business. But they have to go beyond the management tasks, they also have to inspire, to motivate and direct. In other words, they have to lead.
What Makes A Great Leader?
Being a great leader comes from a melting pot of communication, intention, empathy, motivation and practical skills. They are self-aware, emotionally intelligent and want to lead. That bit is important; great leaders are generally those who have a desire to lead, rather than just being promoted to the position in a typical hierarchical structure.
They also understand the concept of fostering psychologically safe teams, which has a direct impact on team performance and dynamics. This can be reflected in team members’ resilience and risk of burnout.
Conclusion: Leadership vs Management
Leaders and managers are not exactly the same. Leaders look at the bigger picture and try to inspire their team to become the best version of themselves. Managers are responsible for managing; controlling, planning and organizing.
In our Attachment At Work assessment, MindOnly employs brief assessments on psychological well-being and team dynamic scales, combined with workplace attachment. That means we can offer leaders, or those interested in leading, a profile on how their team scores on these measures. We also measure the relationship between leaders and their team.
References
Avolio, B. J., Walumbwa, F. O., & Weber, T. J. (2009). Leadership: Current theories, research, and future directions. Annual Review of Psychology, 60(1), 421–449.
Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. H. (1969). Life cycle theory of leadership. Training and Development Journal, 23(5), 26–34.
House, R. J. (1971). A path-goal theory of leader effectiveness. Administrative Science Quarterly, 16(3), 321–339.
