On the difference between management and leadership and other practical topics

Leadership and management are two notions used to describe two related concepts. Managers do things right, leaders do the right thing. But this distinction is too facile and too simple. Leadership has two implied meanings. It can be defined in terms of position, as in being in a leadership position. In this sense, senior officers in the U.S. government are leaders, as are the top officers of IBM, GM, and NC State University. A more fruitful way to think about leadership concerns the distinction between occupying a leadership position and being effective in that position. Leadership ought to be evaluated in terms of the performance of the group over time. It relates directly to the ability to build and maintain a group that performs well compared to its competition. In this section, these differences are discussed, explaining why both terms are thought to be similar.

Leadership is a facet of management and vice versa

Leadership is just one of the many assets a successful manager must possess. The principal aim of a manager is to maximize the output of the organization through administrative implementation. To achieve this, managers must undertake the following functions: organization planning staffing controlling directing

Leadership is an important component of the directing function. A manager must manage as well as lead. Managers need formal authority to be effective. This involvement cannot be delegated. Moreover, in many day-to-day circumstances, leadership is not required. For example, in answering routine emails and phone calls or in assigning daily work responsibilities, a leader is simply managing or transacting business.

Subordinate as a leader
Often with small groups, it is not the top manager who emerges as the actual leader. In many cases it is a subordinate member with specific talents who leads the group in a certain direction. Leaders must often let vision, strategies, goals, and values guide the group action and behavior rather than attempting to control others. When a natural leader emerges in a group containing a

manager, conflict may arise if they have different views. When a manager sees the group looking towards someone else for leadership he may feel his authority is being questioned.

Loyalty
Groups are often more loyal to a leader than a manager. This loyalty is created by the leader in areas such as: Taking the blame when things go wrong. Celebrating group achievements, even minor ones. Giving credit where it is due.

The leader should recognize the successes within a team. Leaders are observant and sensitive people. They know their team and develop mutual confidence within it.

Conclusion
Managing and leading are related activities. All managers lead some of the time. Individuals at the top of organizations, normally considered leaders, have to manage on a daily basis. Top managers (e.g., CEOs or executive vice presidents) are generally viewed by subordinates and the public in a different way from line managers. This is primarily because of the level of responsibility: top managers like CEOs spend more of their time on strategy, wide-ranging communication across the organization, and in regal functions. Line (or lower-level) managers typically are involved in more direct functional activities (marketing, production, finance, HR) and less concerned with the broader functions associated with leaders.