Leaders and Managers - What Is the Difference?

In this article we are going to talk about the sometimes subtle
differences between leadership and management. Leaders tend to
demonstrate some or all of the following characteristics:
Motivator
inspiring
approachable
risk taker
passionate
emotionally intelligent
people centred
goal setters
proactive
visionary.An example of this would be Richard Branson. He seems to
have an ability to succeed in areas while others are floundering. His
competitiveness and vision is uncanny and certainly one of his latest
projects to take people on space tours is certainly both visionary and
a huge risk. Managers however are often:
Methodical
target driven
have attention to detail
task driven, organised
authoritative
work focussed
reactive
disciplinarian
planners.Peter Drucker, a well known and respected business author on
business and business strategies once said: 'Checking the results of a
decision against its expectations shows executives what their
strengths are, where they need to improve, and where they lack
knowledge or information'. Notably in his career he conducted a
political audit for General Motors called Concept of the Corporation
that was alleged to have been frowned upon by the General Motors
executive at the time. Regardless of this, Concept of the Corporation
went on to receive considerable plaudits from business and management
communities as a defining piece of work for its time. Often I have
thought if his name would be common knowledge amongst households if
his leadership skills were as strong as his management knowledge.
There are lots of examples of great leaders without having to think
particularly hard but it isn't quite so easy to create a list of great
managers although we know they do exist. I would refer you back to
some of those differences mentioned earlier as to why this might be
the case.There is an old proverb that often comes up when discussing
the differences between leadership and management that I also like to
use - leadership is doing the right thing, where as management is
doing things right.