Leadership versus Management

Teddy Roosevelt once said that “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” Obviously, there is a difference between being a “Leader” and being a “Manager”. The optimal situation for any business is to have capable efficient managers who lead, organize and nurture your work staff. Any organization is only as good as its people and the corps of employees who have exhibited the wherewithal, intelligence and ability to rise to a level of management in the company normally would be those who best exhibit the work ethic, culture and mores that the company is trying to instill. However, more often than not, companies are managed by employees who are not good leaders, or leaders who may not be good managers. In this section of the handbook, we will discuss what makes a good corporate leader, as well as what is required for a manager and how the two are inter-related. In an efficient company, leadership and management should go hand in hand. While not the same thing, they are inevitably connected, and paired. Any attempt to divide the two is liable to cause more troubles than it helps. Leadership is defined as “The ability of a company's management to make sound decisions and inspire others to perform well. Effective leaders are able to set and achieve challenging goals, to take swift and decisive action even in difficult situations, to outperform their competition, to take calculated risks and to persevere in the face of failure. Strong communication skills, self-confidence, the ability to manage others and a willingness to embrace change also characterize good leaders.” (Raven, 2003)

A leader will initiate action, motivate his or her team or colleagues, provide guidance, build morale and the work