First of all, I want to define both. Simply put, leadership is influence. This is the best definition of leadership I have ever heard. It comes from John Maxwell's book, "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership."
A portion of management is leadership, but management also involves planning, coordinating, controlling and organizing resources. This definition comes from an online article, which you can check out for yourself at managementhelp.org/mgmnt/defntion.htm
Now, I want to reveal to you the differences between a manager and a leader. The manager administers, the leader innovates. The manager is a copy: the leader is an original. The manager focuses on systems and structure; 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 an eye always on the bottom line: the leader has an eye on the horizon. The manger initiates, the leader originates. the manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. The manger is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person. The manger does thing right, and the leader does the right thing.
The above paragraph comes from the online article, "Leadership in the Workplace," by Brooke Sheldon. You can see the entire articles by visiting txla.org/pubs/tlj75_4/work.html
Let me give you an example of how leadership and management work. I'll put this into football terms. The manager would be the coach, and the leaders would be the quarterback, the veterans of the team and the team captains. Every NFL team has talented players, but why do some teams make the playoffs and most don't? It boils down to the right mix of management and leadership.
As a coach (manager), you have to know which players to play and when. Another facet of coaching (managing) is knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your players (employees), focusing on those strengths and correcting the weaknesses.
The key players (leaders) of the team need to lead by exceptional example. The key players (leaders) need to inspire, influence, affirm, assist etc.
The football team scenario is a good example of how a business should run. An NFL team is a business. The team has a President/CEO, board of directors, managers and players. A corporation has the same structure, but the players are the employees.
If your business is lagging, you need a change. Management needs to be more effective. Leadership either needs to change or leaders need to be raised up. Hope this articles helps make 2008 a much better year than 2007.
Mike Bova is the Madison County Advertising Director & Business Columnist for Eagle Newspapers in Syracuse, NY. Mike owns several websites including http://www.upstateshopping.com The Upstate New York Shopping And Business Directory. Mike has spoken in front of many business groups, shattered a lot of sales records, conducted several sales training seminars and trains corporate sales staffs how to sell more. Mike is launching his own site soon.
