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Difference between leadership and management (Leaders versus managers)

August 26, 2009 by Victorino Q. Abrugar  
Filed under Management

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leaders-managersWhat is the difference between leadership and management? How do leaders differ from managers? These two subjects and kinds of individuals have always been compared and differentiated over the years. Being a leader and being a manager have similar features and common functions. Both involve people, actions and goals. Both are also significant for individuals, organizations and businesses to live, run and achieve success. But despite of their resemblances they also have important distinctions that separate them from each other. They focus on different specific aspects and they are directed into different purposes. To understand more and brighten up our minds on the different features of leadership and management, let’s reflect on the following table of comparison.

 

Leader

Manager
 Has followers  Has subordinates
 Guide people  Administer people
 Makes short-term, mid-term, long-term and everlasting plans  Makes short-term, mid-term and long-term plans
 Organizes people within their selves  Organizes people within the organization
 Train people to succeed in their lives  Train people for the success of the organization
 Direct people to achieve their goals  Direct people to achieve organizational goals
 Correct people according to life’s standard  Correct people according to the organizational standard
 Faithful  Skeptical
 Overcome risks  Avoid risks
 Focus on persons  Focus on work
 Elected  Hired
 Hearty  Brainy
 Create original rules  Adopts organizational rules
 Promotes change  Promotes adherence
 Treat his people equal as himself  Treats his people lower than himself
 Regularly receives recognition  Regularly receives compensation
 Forward  Historical
 Targets freedom and development  Targets efficiency and effectiveness
 Provide services to his followers  Obtain services from his subordinates
 Makes people change  Makes people stable
 Transformational  Operational
 Spiritual  Financial
 Non Profit  For Profit
 Preserves humility  Preserves authority
 Liberal  Formal
 Can be left behind  Can be fired
 Facilitator  Processor
 Works by passion  Works by profession
 Theoretical  Actual
 Realizations and lessons oriented  Results oriented
 Timeless  Timely

 

The comparative presentation above doesn’t tell us that leadership is greater than management nor the reverse. It only shows the dissimilarities of leaders from managers. It doesn’t matter if you are a leader or a manager. It even doesn’t matter whether you are a follower or a subordinate. What matters is… you are great of whatever you are – a great leader, a great manager, a great follower or a great subordinate.

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  • Hitler was a leader. Did he lead several countries into war with confidence? Yes. Did he manage the war for the German people particularly well? No.

    He was able to rouse his nation into action by his leadership, but failed them through his management of the situation.
  • jay_castillo
    Hi Vic, excellent list! I can't help but mention about a time when we were asked during a leadership training seminar by the seminar facilitator "what differentiates leaders and managers?" and I said leaders do what is right while manager's do things the right way, I was dumbfounded when a number of fellow managers reacted by saying they don't get it. I said to myself, "What the f&ck?!" =)
  • Hi Jay,

    Thanks for visiting and sharing your stories. I must agree with the answer you have given to the facilitator. Leaders encourage change and while managers aim for stabiity. Leaders originate rules while managers follow the rules of the organization. You are more matured than the managers in the seminar. Perhaps they are not as fundamental as you.
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