Management and Leadership
Management 330
February 13, 2006
Abstract
Leadership and management are certainly two different traits however one person can have
both qualities. In order to create a healthy organization, the manager/leader has several
options at his or her disposal that will foster strong follower and trusting subordinates.
Management and Leadership
Perhaps the simplest way to differentiate between management and leadership is to say
that managers have subordinates and leaders have followers. In most cases the manager is
a subordinate as well. The difference there is that followers often seek out a leader and
want to believe and subordinates have no choice but to follow the orders of a person of
authority. There are definite qualities that distinguish between management and leadership
however as we dig deeper into this subject and learn more about particular examples we
will see that there are those who exhibit both.
A leader has the ability or need to foment change by leading people and encouraging them
to follow him and work toward his vision. A manager has objectives and will try to create
stability by managing the work of her subordinates. Managers also plan detail and have
power through positional authority while leaders simply set a direction and have power
through personal charisma. A leader will appeal to the heart of her followers while a
manager is more practical and appeals to the practical side or the brain of his subordinates.
In many cases a leader creates energy in the organization through his passion for the job at
hand. The manager may derive energy through control. The ability to change is evident in
both positions however the dynamic is such that the leader is more proactive and the
manager is reactive. Quite often the leaders persuasive strategy will be to try to sell his
theory on what needs to be done while the manager simply tells her subordinates what has
to be done. Another difference is that very often what the leader gets out of the job
isexcitement while the manager is merely collecting a paycheck. A leader is prone to
taking risks and breaking rules while a manager tries to minimize risk and follow rules;
very often rules that she has made. One way the leader will try to provoke change is by
creating conflict and taking the organization down new roads and in an entirely new
direction. A manager tries to avoid conflict and stay on course and does not take the road
