I was reading a post on LinkedIn a while ago and it was about this decade-old ‘management vs leadership’ argument.
The author was saying how leadership and management are more similar than different. He also asked for people’s take on that statement and the comments came pouring in. Not surprisingly, many people did not agree with his way of thinking. Just so you know, I commented too (discussions about leadership get me excited :-))
My comment was in agreement with the author’s perspective of course. I felt a sense of affinity with him because that perspective is something I have been talking about for years now. In fact, it is one of the chapters in my book; ‘Leadership: Myths & Reality’ (available on Amazon by the way).
So, what is the deal with leadership and management? Are they the same thing or are they vastly different?
Here’s what I believe to be true; leadership and management are more similar than they are different. In fact, I’ll even be ‘so bold’ as to say that leadership is management.
Hold your horses and hear me out first!
I’m pretty sure many of you reading this have been taught that leadership is not management and that a leader is not a manager. While that may be globally popular and founded on high-ranking research, I strongly beg to differ. I myself was once a student of that school of thought until I sought and found the foundational, practical truths about leadership.
I believe the one thing that is responsible for this ‘leadership is not management’ school of thought is this: vague understanding of what leadership really is.
It is this vague understanding that has resulted in 2 flawed ways of defining leadership:
– leadership definitions based on the actions of model/successful leaders and
– leadership definitions based on work roles/job descriptions.
While defining leadership in the two ways mentioned above can be helpful in its own way, it does not tell us what leadership is by itself. It assumes that leaders give form to leadership when it is in fact the other way around; leadership gives form to leaders.
In other words, leadership does not depend on leaders or on organisations to get its definition. It has its own identity and that identity is what carves the path for leaders and organisations. When you understand leadership as it really is, you’ll see that management is part and parcel of the leadership package.
To help you make more sense of what I’ve just said, I’ll explain management in a way that’s different from what you’re used to hearing. A way that doesn’t pay homage to any industry, sector, or job description but rather explains it for what it is.
Brief Background on Management
Management is basically the act of directing the use of resources and time. It can also be described as the practice of supervising the affairs of a given environment.
When it comes to a social system, management is the result of chunking down and focusing on specific leadership responsibilities. In other words, breaking down and delegating leadership workload into manageable chunks for better operation and results.
Based on what I’ve said so far, who then is a manager?
A manager is one who has been delegated to share the leadership workload of directing and supervising specific leadership activities. One who performs tasks that usually involve direct interaction with, and overseeing the daily work of, a group of people in a social system.
I’m not sure how you can look at what a manager does, then go on to say that he/she is not a leader.
Take a moment to think about what a manager does…
To make it more relatable, think about a manager you know, what does s/he do?
Now tell me those tasks s/he carries out, are not part of the responsibility of the leadership of your social system (note that I did not say leaders, I said leadership).
Did you know that management roles in organisations exist because of growth? I’ll explain.
The reason we have management roles is because of organisational growth. As organisations grow, their needs also grow and the leadership responsibilities within them increase. In order for leaders to meet those growing needs and also ensure the effective functionality of their social systems, they have to delegate. In order words, the leadership work has to be shared in such a way that all aspects of operations are covered and all members of the social system are looked after by someone who can be held accountable. These accountable people are the ones we refer to as managers.
I could go on and on explaining this but I’ll stop here so this blog post does not become a booklet.
I will however leave you with some key things to remember about leadership and management.
Some Key Facts About Leadership and Management:
1. Management is part of leadership.
2. Management and leadership are not different, they are interrelated.
3. Leadership cannot be done well if there’s no management.
4. Management as a role exists when leadership responsibilities are delegated or chunked down.
A manager is a leader and a leader carries out his/her duties effectively through good management.
There is no reason to draw an unnecessary line between leadership and management because all it does is create confusion and an unhealthy divide; two things we can definitely do without in our social systems.
Keep Leading Right and Living Light,
Belinda
