Management vs. Leadership

The manager focuses primarily on the “How” and the “What Is” in relation to a plan, whereas A Leader focuses on “Why It Is So” and “What Shall Be.”

In most human endeavors, leadership and management skills are not mutually exclusive but mutually enforce with each other. Leadership is a combination of nature, nurture, and circumstance. Leadership and Management are activities performed by people. These activities are two sides of the same coin; you can't get an organization to perform by using one side. Unfortunately, too many employees say they are over managed and under led. This does not mean that you can skip management and only do leadership. It means that you have to balance them better.

1. Substances & Direction

M (Management) - planning, budgeting, keeping eye on the bottom line

L (Leadership) - creating vision & Strategy ALIGNMENT
M- organizing & staffing / L- creating shared culture & values
M- directing & controlling / L- helping others grow
M- creating boundaries / L- reducing boundaries

1. The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.
2. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. 
3. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. 
4. The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader’s eye is on the horizon. 
5. A Manager is critical to the transactional activities; a leader holds the vision to lead the transformation.
6. A Manager seeks continuity. A Leader seeks to change. 
7.  A Manager focuses on goals for improvement. A Leader focuses on goals of innovation.
8. A Manager plans tactics. A Leader plans strategy. 
9. A Manager sets standard operating procedures. A Leader sets strategic guideline & policy. 
10. A Manager plans budgets and designs detail steps. A Leader develops vision & strategies to achieve it. 
11. A manager manages the content of the box to avoid chaos; A leader works through the context across the boxes to inspire alliance and shape the new box of thinking
12. Management is about coping with complexity. Good Management brings a degree of order and consistency to key dimensions. Leadership, by contrast, is about coping with change;  leader creates changes, a manager executes the tasks for changes.

2. RELATIONSHIP

M (Management) -focusing on products, selling products/services

/ L(Leadership) - focusing on people, inspiring people
M-based on position power / L- based on personal power
M-acting as boss / L- acting as coach, facilitator, servant

13. The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people
14. Managers say, "do it" and leaders say "let's do it"
15. A Manager works toward employee compliance. A Leader works toward employee commitment. 
16. A manager relies on control; a leader inspires trust. 
17. A manager will tell you how you are performing and point out areas where you are excelling or developing. A leader will show you how to improve your performance and will do everything in his or her power to set you up for success
18. A Manager manages the things, a leader leads people.
19. A Manager bases power on position or authority. A Leader bases power on personal influence. 
20. A manager monitors performance via pushing; A leader influences result via pulling.

3. Style

     M (Manager) maintain, facilitate, and monitor/L (Leader) inspire, influence, innovate

     M: analytics, tactical and transactional/L: synthetic, strategic and transformational

     M: answering, inside-out, status quo/L: asking, outside-in, and break the rule

21. A manager facilitates, controls, and maintains; A leader inspires, influences, and innovates,
22. A Manager imitates others. A Leader originates. 
23. A Manager accepts the status quo. A Leader challenges the status quo
24. A manager thinks they have all answers, but a leader also questions things that don't make sense to them, to avoid common mistakes in your very own reasoning
25. A manager has all answers, and set the limit; A leader knows how to ask the right questions that open up possibilities
26. A manager may say: “It’s impossible technically,” a leader says, “let’s make impossible possible”
27. A manager manages through inside-out, and top-down, a leader brings up outside-in view and expands the horizon;
28. A Manager relies on analytical decision-making style. A leader relies on synthetic decision-making style. 
29. A Manager is a realist who is risk cautious. A leader is a cautious optimist who takes the necessary risks. 
30. A manager uses a “transactional” communication style. A leader uses a “transformational” communication style. 
31. A manager is a tactical thinker while a leader is a strategic thinker;
32. A manager optimizes resources - human, financial and material. A leader is able to mobilize human resources beyond their perceived capacity
33. A manager is a person getting only a part of things done, A leader is a person having a holistic approach to getting things done; 
34. A Manager has its scope limited to a certain task allotted to him/her; a leader takes a bold step forward and challenges himself to derive the best of a given situation;
35. A manager focuses on day to day operation and confirmation; a leader is a person that has the vision, who sees things differently 
36. A manager takes credit, a leader takes responsibility

4.    PERSONAL QUALITIES

M (Management) - emotional distance / L(Leadership) - emotional connections
M- Expert mind / L- open mind
M- talking / L- listening
M- conformity / non-conformity (courage)
M- insight into organization / L-insight into self (character)

37. A Manager demonstrates skill in technical competence. A Leader demonstrates skill in selling the vision. 
38.  A Manager demonstrates skill in administration. A Leader demonstrates skill in dealing with ambiguity. 
39. A Manager demonstrates skill in supervision. A Leader demonstrates skill in persuasion. 
40. A manager =operation + technique + control; Leaders=vision + direction +influencing capabilities
41. A manager is the classic good soldier; a leader is his or her own person. 
42. A manager talks loud, while a leader listens with empathy;
43. A manager manages base on experience, a leader leads through character  

5. OUTCOMES

M-maintains stability, creates the culture of efficiency / L-creates change, the culture of integrity

44. A Manager builds success through the maintenance of quality. A leader builds success through employee commitment. 
45. A Manager does not want to experience anarchy. A leader does not want to experience inertia. 
46. A Manager sets standards of performance. A leader sets standards of excellence. 
47. A Manager develops a detailed plan to achieve results. A leader develops future direction by observing trends.
48.  Managers administer processes. A leader creates value & quality
49. A Manager focuses primarily on the “How” and the “What Is” in relation to a plan, whereas a leader focuses on “Why It Is So” and “What Shall Be.”
50. Summary: Management is about how to manage business efficiency-doing things right, but leadership is to ensure business effectiveness-doing right things, they do have overlap, leadership is more about influence, management is more about facilitation,

Posted in: Connecting Dots,Future of Leadership,Talent Master