Management and Leadership: Common and Different Features

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Introduction

The terms “leadership” and “management” have been interpreted differently by people around the world. Some say that the terms are interrelated while others claim that both terms refer to two different roles and can therefore not be interchangeable (Dorothy 2006). The word, leadership, can be termed as the process whereby a group is influenced by a certain individual or person to enunciate a common objective.

On the other hand, researchers define the term management as trying to exercise some supervisory or administrative directions to a certain organization or a specific group. For organization or groups to be fully successful there is need for efficient and effective managers and leaders. Despite the many similarities profound in both, where each is tasked with influencing certain groups and association with power, some striking differences are also notable. One difference is that management is more oriented on tasks whereas leadership will focus on inspiring others to be more productive.

The concepts of managers as effective leaders

Managers, despite the partial differences that some researchers note, can still be involved in leadership and be great in it too. This argument can be supported by the fact that at times managers are involved in influencing employees working in an organization to be more productive. By doing this they try to influence the employee to achieve their goals and this rightly puts them in the same league as the leaders.

Managers driven by innate personalities and excellent skills of leadership create a managerial art that is a key driving force towards the integration of management and leadership (Dorothy 2006).

Managers who are involved in fostering a business arena that respects the diverse points and views and in the same time satisfying the objectives and goals of the organization that he is managing as the first priority then blending this with the diverse opinions in a decisive manner will be highly credited as both a leader and a manager.

The concept of leaders as effective managers

The probability of leaders being efficient in management or being managers is immensely higher than that of managers executing the role of leadership. This is mainly because a manager mainly deals with the tasks at hand and executes only what is going round the circles currently unlike a leader who is more visionary since he looks at the currents situations and also looks beyond the current situation into the future (John 2009). He is mandated with the task of setting the direction that the group he/she is leading will tread in the future.

The visionary foresight character that defines the leader separates him/her from the leader giving him/her an upper hand over the rival. Managers look at the situations at hand and set measures to effectively deliver their mandates in these situations a contrast to the leaders’ norm of going beyond what is current and setting a direction that will perfectly steer his/her group into the horizons.

With these un doubtful impressive characters the leader only needs to limit his/her role as a leader and deliver his roles perfectly as he/she steers his/her group into the future to become an effective manager (Joseph 1993). Since the managers perform the tasks of making sure that things are done in line with the leaders expectations is a fact that proves that leaders can become efficient managers since they come up with a culture of doing this whereby they will only need to set the right trend of how they want things done to become efficient managers.

The balance needed between the demands of management and the demands of leadership

Through trying to strike a balance between the demands of both, the research depicts leadership to be a facet of management which every ambitious manager must possess. The manager is mandated with the task of increasing the output of the organization that he/she has aligned to through the full implementation of his administrative tasks through staffing, controlling, organization, directing and planning.

Managers can be leaders if they instill in themselves some of the demands of being a leader that involves standing out to be different and trying to look for the truth at all costs basing all their conclusions on pure facts rather than the prejudice that is the demand that comes with being a manager.

The balance of loyalty, which is more directed towards a leader, can also be created if the manager takes the blame when things go wrong which is very rare in the current day managers as we have seen blames swung towards the hapless employees who have little or no influence towards their managers.

To strike the demands of both the managers ought to practice to appreciate the achievements within the organizations no matter how minimal they may seem towards their eyes (William 2010). This will reflect positively on the minds of their employees who will see a value of their hard work being appreciated and in time will see their managers as both heroes and leaders who have played a pivotal role in positively changing their lives.

The managers must also give full credit where it fully deserves, as this will go a long way in changing the lives of their employees once the work of their hands is recognized. This is mostly associated with leaders who appreciate the hard work of the various groups they lead and give solutions to failures compared to the ever critic attitude of the managers.

The demand of a manager that is directing and organizing must be balanced with the demands of a leader of being observant and appreciative (Emery 1998). This can be done through highlighting the success of a certain group or organization by the managers, as this will instill in them great leadership qualities as they perform their managerial tasks. The managers must also know their various teams and be able to instill mutual confidence within them as this will also instill the demands of loyalty that is mostly associated with being a leader.

To strike the balance further the manager must drop the demands of ruling that is associated with him and be ready to receive some following. Most managers around the world have obtained their status as managers through loyalty towards the companies they are working for or through the time they have been at the various companies and yet being void of any worth leadership qualities within them, a complete opposite with the leaders. The manager ought to exercise some visionary skills to reduce the demands that put him in a complete opposite line with the leader to be able to strike a balance of being both a leader and a manager.

The other demands that have a complete difference between the two, is that of leadership and technical knowledge. Despite the positives that have come with being a leader in this research paper, the manager has a big upper hand over the former in terms of experience and technical knowledge (Mitchell 2010). Because most managers have risen through the ranks of being a manager over time, it is clear that they have gained some experience over time and the technical knowledge that is pivotal in leadership.

These demands that are associated with the managers ought to be reflected on the leaders took over time to create a balance between the leader and the manager, which will in turn help the leaders to make perfect managers over time.

The role of the leader in contributing to the creation of the organization’s vision and in its communication to others

A good leader demands the right strengths in emotions and the behavioral characteristics, which shows his mental and reserve part (Dimmicks and Edwards 2007). The leadership inhibits the rewards and the positives that involve recognition, encouragement and thanks, that is critical for the individual or group to counter with the changes that are occurring daily in the company. This in turn inspires and forces the group, which he/she is leading to feel appreciated and hence become more visionary in their work setting more targets that helps them achieve more goals in the future.

Leaders are forced to make hard decisions when the success that is bound to come with these decisions seems eminently clear in their faces and minds (Abel 2007). They go a long way in thinking of the best ways that can change their respective organizations and in turn dig deeper into their minds and source for the perfect decisions that if applied, success will be inevitable.

The responsibilities of concentrating on matters that are aimed at enabling the team and organization thrive makes the responsibilities of a leader become a day in to day out task. The serving role that is associated with the leaders makes them visionary leaders who inspire their groups or organizations towards success and makes them to thrive in their respective roles.

The leaders make sure that the public that he/she is controlling increases its corporate responsibilities and hence builds on its strength reflecting positively on the success that forth comes in the end because of the visionary role played by this same leader (William and Ying 2009). A modern leader will always strive towards making sure that the person he/she is leading achieves greatness in the areas that he/she undertakes.

The modern day leaders are greatly visionary since they make sure that the groups that they are leading perform and develop. This means that their success at the various organizations is achieved together with the aims and objectives of the organization.

Evaluate how personal energy, self belief and commitment impact on leadership styles

For effective leadership to be achieved, the notion of having immense intellectual capacity or technical capacity is not in any way pivotal. Since leadership mostly involves serving, the inner qualities within the leader are the great determinants towards a leaders’ success. Good leadership is mainly involved with great emotional strengths and behavior characteristics, which has a great impact on the physical and the mental treasury of these leaders.

The leaders concentrate on the less tangible things that are hard to measure. This involves the energy within them, the self-commitment and energy within them (William 2010). This in turns builds on more trust, inspiration, attitude, decision-making and the general characters of the leaders (Hamlin 2006). All these are not as a result of any experience gained by them but are facets that comes with being human and are orchestrated further by the general character of the leaders and the general reserves of his/her emotions.

The energy within them reflects their leadership skills through the inner qualities like honesty, courage, commitment, sincerity, integrity, passion, confidence and positivity. Charisma comes as a result of effective leadership that unleashes out of these inner qualities. This personal energy comes as a result of an inner conviction and a great self belief towards certain aims and objectives.

How empowerment and trust through ethical leadership impact on organization practice

Through effective leadership the employers gain trust towards their leaders since the inner qualities of integrity, commitment, positivity, courage and honesty greatly inspires and builds trust on the group or organization that he/she is working (Richard and Dorothy 2010). The ethical leadership that comes with being a leader greatly inspires the people that he/ she is leading and hence builds on their confidence and in the end helps them achieve their goals and objectives which impacts positively on the success of the organization or company.

The empowerment of people through guidance and encouragement also helps in the overall success of their group or organization (Patsy 2010). The organization feels inspired, appreciated, and hence performs their tasks with all the needed strength and breath, which augur positively to the company and this helps the organization to becomes success oriented as compared to the opposite norm of leadership that mainly concentrates on fulfilling demands (Hamlin 2006)

The ethical leadership also puts the leader as a role model who is the inspiration behind each person in the organization and hence everyone involved will strive towards high working standards to achieve the overall goals of the organization.

The leaders make a way, which is followed by every party involved in the organization, and this builds on teamwork and the perfect platform for growth that is pivotal for the growth of an organization (Christians 2004). All this positive qualities are important. They have powered many companies to greatness, in turn proving to be the greatest drivers of success in every organization.

Distinguish between two different leadership styles

Leadership style mainly comes as a result of the personality, experience and result of the philosophy of a behavior that is associated with a certain leader. The most common type of leadership styles is the participative type of leadership and the autocratic type of leadership.

The participative type of leadership mainly favors the various groups involved to carry out their decisions with no objection from the leader. The leader gives instructions after a full consultation with this group and even motivates them positively as they are carrying out their consultations. A good leader will involve everyone when making decisions and thus everyone is responsible for the success or failure of the group.

The autocratic type of leadership is a style of leadership that involves centralization of powers wholly in the leader. All the powers are centralized in the leader and he/she is involved in all the decision-making procedures of the organization. The leaders here do not entertain suggestions from other subordinate so there is little or no consultation between them and the rest of the group (Meyer 2004). These types of leaders have built weak leaders but have been credited with making strong managers thereafter (Dorothy 2006).

Assess the practical value of a leadership style to a manager in achieving organization objectives

The autocratic style of leadership is the number one style of leadership used by many leaders. Despite many quarters criticizing this type of leadership, it has augured well in achieving the objectives of the organization. This form of leadership permits or enables quick-decision making since only one person does the decisions of the whole group. He/she also keeps decisions to him/herself and little is known of his/her decisions by the rest of the group (Edwin 1999). This has its own positives since it drives away the rebellious characters within the organization that may be a hindrance to the achievement of the organizations goals and objectives (Bennis 2004)

The participative type of leadership too contributes immensely towards the achievement of the organizations goals and objectives. This type of leadership style gives room for growth to the other groups and room for expressing their ideas to the leader. This style contributes greatly to the success of the organization since some of the general norms of the organization are criticized leaving room for improvement and change with brighter ideas put forth.

The free rein style of leadership is also a great style of leadership in the success of an organization since the leader plays the least role in the decision-making process giving maximum freedom to the group to decide on their own methods of doing things and on their own approach. This gives a homogenous level of expertise to the group, as they are highly motivated and in turn proves quite effective in achieving the objectives of the organization while the interests of individuals is balanced.

Situational variables likely to influence the choice of a leadership style

The autocratic type of leadership may come as a result of leading a high-headed type of group. The leader may prefer to embrace this form of leadership if the group that he/she is leading is more rebellious than cooperative (Hamlin 2006). The participative style may be embraced by leaders who want to build a good reputation. This type of leadership will allow a leader to give his/her group a chance to express their ideas. This type of leadership believes that by doing so in the long run it will be fruitful. The free rein style of leadership can be prompted by situations of a leader being in a highly cooperative and idealistic group and hence fully entrusting them with the decisions as he/she has the utmost confidence of the decisions they make.

References

Abel, A. (2007) Global business management: a cross-cultural perspective. Journal of Management, 2 (8), 34-39.

Bennis, W. (2004) Transactional to transformational leadership: learning to share the vision. Web.

Christians, L. (2004). Leadership verses Management. Journal of Leadership, 1(2), 279-369.

Dimmick, V., and Edwards, C. (2007) Managers can be trained as effective leaders?, Macmillan, New York.

Dorothy, T. (2006) Professional development for leaders and managers of self-governing schools. Springer, New York.

Edwin, A. L. (1999) The Essence of Leadership: The Four Keys to Leading Successfully. G.K. Hall and Co, Boston.

Emery, E. (1998). Leadership Handbook of Management and Administration. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.

Hamlin. (2006) Developing Effective Leadership Behaviours: The Value of Evidence-Based Management. Web.

John, D., (2009) Not Bosses But Leaders: How to Lead the Way to Success. Kogan Page Publishers, Mason.

Joseph, R. (1993) Leadership for the twenty-first century. Greenwood Publishing Group, Mason.

Meyer, H. (2004) Effective Leadership and Management in the Early Years. Columbia, University of Missouri Press.

Mitchell, J. (2010) Self-Management and Leadership Development. Edward Elgar Publishing, New York.

Patsy, F. (2010) The Administrative Professional: Technology & Procedures, Delta Books, New York.

Richard, D., and Dorothy, M. (2010) Understanding management. CEng age learning, Mason, OH.

William, A., and Ying, P. (2009) Advances in Global Leadership. Journal of Management, 1(2), 27-36.

William, R. (2010). Effective succession planning: ensuring leadership continuity and building talent from within. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, New York.

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