Leaders_vs._Managers

Leaders vs. Managers Leadership and management are two separate entities and should be treated as such. This subject has been an ongoing debate in the corporate circles for many years. Some people are born leaders and some are born to manage. Both positions have similar duties such as directing work and influencing people to attain a goal, but have differing character traits for the day-to-day encounters of all players within the organization. This paper will discuss each position separately, and discuss the differences between them and the importance of each. With these comparisons in mind, the paper will also show research that indicates a fewer number of leaders as compared to managers and how that affects the business world. The paper will conclude by restating the idea of leaders and managers being kept as separate jobs within a company to help the business become more successful and prominent. Manager Manager is a term used to title a formal role in a corporate hierarchy within an organization. A person in this role manages multiple functions, limited resources, and is strained for the demands on his or her time and resources. He or she must use the position for “setting priorities, establishing processes, overseeing the execution of tasks and measuring progress against expectations” (Colvard, 2003). He or she has a solid view of a finished product and systems and procedures to complete the assembly of said product. Managerial roles include the use of data from information technology departments to utilize their analytical skills and focus on the efficiency of the processes and procedures used for the flow of their department in completion of the finished product. These individuals concentrate on building and implementing changes to the systems and procedures to attempt improvement in functionality of production. Assembling a cast of subordinates to drive the systems he or she has in place is also the managerial responsibility. A manager’s multitude of responsibilities does not always allow them to have the daily contact with his or her crew. His or her perceptions of the fit of a prospective employee into the established team might not always be his or her specialty. A decision based on talent alone could end up being detrimental to the overall psychological cohesiveness of the group and how it functions. Leaders Leaders are also an integral part of any organization. A person in this role is “usually a very creative, dynamic, outgoing and unflappable individual. They tend to think big picture focusing on vision and strategy while looking to make a long-term impact” (Myatt, 2006). He or she has a large amount of managerial responsibilities and authorities without the managerial paycheck. It is absolutely necessary that a person in a leader position understands the final product and the processes and procedures to complete the finished product. Leaders use their creative capabilities to adjust and improve processes for more streamline methods from the original standard operating procedures usually set by management. With the daily exposure to the processes and in-depth knowledge of each step, leaders have great insight to improvements close to the front lines of production. He or she can also suggest new equipment or structural needs for improvement to management, but rarely has the authority to implement that type of change without approval. Leaders are most valuable with their skills in dealing with the employees of the department. A good leader understands each person on the team on an individual basis. This knowledge is crucial in the personnel decisions pertaining to the structure of the department. Managers can prove to be more effective in their position if leaders are allowed to be partial decision makers in the addition or subtraction of personnel, because of their overall knowledge and daily contact with each member of their team. Leaders must learn the influential powers necessary to coerce his or her subordinates into extra effort for achievement of the common goal. If a leader is viewed as knowledgeable and personable in his or her skills, subordinates are usually more willing to work harder and help achieve the end results necessary. Differences Even though these positions share many responsibilities, there are differences that set each one apart from the other. Managers are forced to deal with a wide variety of issues from budgets all the way down to structural repairs. His or her time is spent, quite frequently, dealing with the political complexities of the corporate structure. Leaders are more focused on the structure of the processes and personnel involvement along the production lines within the organization. Managers use their authoritative position and implement power methods to achieve results. Leaders are usually more influential in his or her methods to coerce subordinates into extra effort to achieve final goals. Leadership is the key in success to a company. Every person that has worked for a large company has seen over management. When leadership is performed by management in a corporate setting, “your will always find that growth slows, morale declines, creativity wanes and the competitive edge is weakened” (Myatt, 2006). Society offers many choices for individuals to train for management positions and these positions are heavily populated. Leaders are not as prevalent in numbers, and are not as easy to train. Conclusion Managers and leaders are both crucial positions in the success of organizations. With overwhelming research on these positions focusing on the idea that these positions are separate entities, companies should structure their organizations in that way for optimal performance. Some individuals are more geared towards the political demands of management and others are more professional with procedures and personnel decisions on the production lines. To combine these positions can prove to be detrimental to the performance of the individuals and the organization. References Colvard, J. (2003, July 7). Outlook: Managers vs. Leaders. Retrieved December 12, 2008, from Government Executive: http://www.govexec.com McCrimmon, M. (2008). What's the Difference Between Managers and Leaders' Retrieved December 12, 2008, from Leaders Direct: http://www.leadersdirect.com Myatt, M. (2006, May 30). Leadership - The Roles of Leaders vs. Managers in Business. Retrieved December 14, 2008, from Ezine Articles: http://ezinearticles.com Yukl, G. (2006). Leadership in Organizations (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.