Leaders versus Managers
There is a common assumption that leadership and management can be used as synonyms. This assumption exists because there are a few similarities between the roles that leaders and managers play. The correlation is especially evident because managers can play the role of leaders on different occasions. However, it is worth noting that leaders are not as likely to play the role of managers as effectively. Additionally, it is worth noting that there are very distinct differences between the two roles and the characteristics that each role presents. This paper explores the similarities and differences in the characteristics displayed by managers and leaders.
The Differences Between Leaders And Managers
Management involves carrying out core functions, including organizing members, developing and making financial arrangements, and controlling and problem-solving (Bertocci, 2009). Conversely, leadership is based on the ability to influence and includes functions like setting the direction of the company, motivating, and providing inspiration. In addition, leaders are supposed to align people in the most suitable way for the success of the company. Looking at these roles, the characteristics of each role will also be dissimilar. For example, managers must be methodical, rational, stabilizing, consulting, authoritative, and cautious (Bertocci, 2009). Contrastingly, leaders are more about being pioneering, courageous, flexible, creative, and passionate.
One characteristic of managers is that they are task-oriented. Managers are focused on getting things done or, rather, being productive. As such, they have a defined structure and clearly defined schedules and roles for accomplishing the set-out tasks like deadlines. Managers are more about micromanaging employees and ensuring that they do their jobs efficiently and effectively (Bertocci, 2009). Conversely, leaders are more goal-oriented, meaning they focus more on the bigger picture as opposed to the daily tasks that need to be accomplished for the said goal. Being goal-oriented means planning how to achieve the intended outcome and ensuring all the required resources are available.
The second characteristic of managers is being implementation-oriented (Bertocci, 2009). Accordingly, managers will focus on processes that can turn the goals and strategies of a company into actions. A leader, however, is more policy-oriented. This means that a leader is a policy maker, and using their knowledge, they come up with the best policies that will lead to the success of the company. Subsequently, after making the policies, leaders hand them to the managers who, as mentioned before, are implementation-oriented. Another dissimilarity between leaders and managers is that the former plays a huge role in attracting talent while the former’s role is in recruiting talent (Bertocci, 2009). For example, the leader of Space X, Elon Musk, is known for his groundbreaking innovations that have continued to advance space exploration. People want to work in his company because he attracts them in a way that makes them want to work with him and accomplish such things together. However, Elon Musk is not in charge of hiring these talents; that role is given to managers in all company departments. Managers are given this role because, as mentioned before, they are task-oriented and know exactly what the company needs, making it easy for them to spot the perfect fit for a certain role.
Another characteristic of a leader dissimilar to that of a manager is that a leader decides while a manager recommends (Bertocci, 2009). When it comes to major decisions, for instance, the downsizing of a company, it is up to the manager to recommend the departments that could be downsized. This is because they are more knowledgeable about the inner workings of a company than leaders. The leader’s role in such situations is to make the final decision depending on the recommendations presented to them. Besides, leaders also utilize their employees’ work, unlike managers, who tend to provide the work to the employees.
Additionally, leaders are mission-oriented, while managers tend to be program-oriented (Bertocci, 2009). To elaborate, leaders are not only committed to a certain purpose, but they also have to inspire and motivate others to have the same passion and believe in their mission as well. On the other hand, managers are oriented towards the program, meaning it is more about the actions and activities that are performed daily in a company. Leaders also have the trait of delegating tasks or responsibilities to those they have hired in an organization, for example, directors, executives, and managers. Conversely, managers usually oversee the tasks and responsibilities of those they have been hired to manage, including secretaries and other staff members.
Similar Characteristics Between Managers And Leaders
Some of the similar characteristics that managers and leaders share include focusing primarily on a company’s success. Secondly, even at different ranks, both characters act as role models to those subordinate to them. Both positions also require skills, expertise, and power. Leaders and managers must have some type of power, from reward, expert, referent, and legitimate, to be able to inspire in the case of leaders and control in the case of managers (Johnson, 2019). Also, both leaders and managers are in charge of providing structure to the people in an organization. Lastly, leaders and managers share the goal of building a healthy working environment and maximizing profit for the company’s success.
An Individual with Great Managerial Skills
One individual that I have taken note of for having great managerial skills is one in charge of one of the biggest multinational fast food chains we have today. As mentioned above, one of the roles of a manager is to ensure the inner workings are working efficiently and effectively, ensuring all problems are taken note off and solved, and meeting all deadlines and schedules. Notably, the more entities there are in the company, the more problems, schedules, and deadlines, among others, there will be. A perfect example is a fast-food restaurant with multiple chains worldwide. The fact that this particular fast food company has managed to become a multibillion-dollar company and is still growing proves that the operations are conducted effectively, the roles have been assigned suitably, and the manager is in charge of ensuring the operations are running smoothly and is doing their job incredibly.
An Individual with Great Leadership Skills
A second individual I have noted to have incredible leadership skills owns multiple companies, bringing about groundbreaking innovation in various industries mostly associated with technology. As mentioned before, one of the main characteristics of leaders is inspiring and motivating others. Accordingly, this particular leader has demonstrated their ability to inspire and challenge people worldwide to pursue things they thought were impossible, especially in space exploration and the possibility of Mars colonization. This ability to influence and inspire others is one of the main qualities of a leader, as stated by Tappen et al. (2004). Another characteristic that this leader portrays is being able to delegate duties and do so successfully. Having several companies that are dominating various industries is a sign of effective leadership and almost perfect delegation of duties to individuals they knew would share their mission and had the capability to help achieve their goals as well. Such a leader plays a huge role in inspiring others to pursue their goals, believe in the impossible, and know who and when to ask for help in pursuing their dreams.
An Individual with Poor Managerial Skills
Conversely, I have seen a person in a managerial position with poor skills for the said position. Accordingly, this person is known as the ostrich effect, meaning that they have the habit of burying their head whenever there is a problem (Bernard, Cade & Connors, 2020). The ostrich effect assumes that ignoring a problem will make it go away eventually. In addition, the manager uses a Laissez-faire approach when dealing with other employees, which is known as the least effective approach to leadership. These traits have caused the company a lot of grief because some of the problems are minor, but with time, they become more serious, costing more to fix than they would have initially.
How The Three Individuals Affect Their Staff
Taking into consideration the staff of the first individual with great managerial skills, they would most likely be creative, free to express themselves, and responsible because the manager has ensured that the working environment nurtures these traits. In the second case of a great leader, the staff will also be positively affected since a great leader attracts talent, inspires, and motivates people, meaning that they will be self-driven, hardworking, and responsible. In addition, a creative environment that fosters creativity, self-expression, and individualism will only inspire and motivate the staff more.
Reviewing the Emotional Intelligence Test
After taking the emotional intelligence test, my results were as follows: self-management 9, self-awareness 7, relationship management 7, and social awareness 9. Looking at these scores, I scored lowest in both self-awareness and relationship management. Accordingly, the competencies listed under self-awareness include self-control, flexibility, resourcefulness, and achievement orientation. Competencies listed for relationship management comprise visionary leadership, change catalyst, developing others, influence, conflict management, building bonds, and teamwork and collaboration. On the other hand, the areas I scored highest include social awareness, which has competencies including service orientation, empathy, and organizational awareness. The second high score was in self-awareness, meaning as a leader, I have competencies like emotional self-awareness, self-confidence, and accurate self-assessment.
Prior to taking the test, I considered myself a transformational leader. If I had been such, the results would have shown that I was strong in relationship management and self-awareness. However, as demonstrated, this is not the case. Instead, I scored high in self-management and social awareness, which, according to Northouse (2018), means I am more of an authentic leader. My goal, however, is to become a transformational leader, as it is the most effective leadership approach today. Therefore, I must start working on the various competencies listed under self-awareness and relationship management.
Conclusion
In conclusion, even though the definition of leadership is continuously changing, various aspects of leadership, like influence, education, and expertise, remain constant. As such, individuals in various positions, like managers, can be leaders to those below their rank. However, for a leader to be a manager is difficult mostly because a leader’s roles are entirely different from those of a manager, and it would be hard for them to execute both leadership and managerial roles. Nevertheless, managers can perform both roles, although the leadership roles will only be limited to a small scale of staff, as opposed to the whole company.
References
Bernard, D., Cade, N. L., & Connors, E. (2020). Are Managers Susceptible to the Ostrich Effect?. Available at SSRN 3752507.
Bertocci, D. I. (2009). Leadership in Organizations: There is a Difference between Leaders and Managers. University Press of America.
Johnson, C. E. (2019). Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow.
Northouse, P. G. (2018). CUSTOM: Grand Canyon University ADM 620 Leading Public. Sage Publications.
Tappen, R. M., Weiss, S. A., Whitehead, D. K., & Fletcher, M. (2004). Essentials of Nursing Leadership and Management. The Canadian Nurse, 100(1), 14.
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Question 
difference between a “manager” and a “leader,” and discuss this concept with your classmates and professor on the discussion board. In a written essay, please answer the following questions:
• What are the differences between leaders and managers? What characteristics are similar, and what are different?
Leadership VS Management
• Provide a total of three examples. First, someone who has great managerial skills. Second, another individual with great leadership skills. Third, another person with poor managerial skills. These can be made up of individuals or examples you have seen without any identifying information. Discuss how the staff of each individual would be affected by the skills of the leader/manager.
• Complete the Emotional Intelligence Test (see attached results). Discuss your scores and what they mean. What did you learn about yourself as a leader? (Note that a 10 on the EI test means strong
• Length: 1500 to 2000 words total (at least 500 words per question prompt); answers must thoroughly address the questions in a clear, concise manner
• Structure: Include a title page and reference page in APA format. These do not count toward the minimum word count for this assignment. Your essay must include an introduction and a conclusion.
• References: Use appropriate APA style in-text citations and references for all resources utilized to answer the questions. A minimum of three (3) scholarly sources are required to support your claims.