Sunday, October 7, 2007
Managers Vs. Leaders
A manager isn't necessarily a leader
Sept. 14, 2007 05:30 PM
Microchip Technology Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Sanghi offers practical help for your real-life business challenges.
Question: I'm a middle manager for a medium-size company. I'm trying to continuously improve my managerial skills to grow in the company. I continuously come across the words "Manager" and "Leader" used interchangeably. How would you describe the difference between a manager and a leader?
-Charles, Chandler Answer: Congratulations for committing yourself to continuous improvement, and thank you for asking this very thoughtful question. There are very significant differences between a manager and a leader.
A manager can be assigned or appointed to head up a department or an organization. But a leader has to be chosen by the followers. A leader is not a leader without followers. A manager can follow a cookie-cutter process to manage a department or a franchised store. But a leader is a lot more than just the person in charge.
A leader provides long-term vision for the organization. He/she sets priorities, grabs hold of tough problems, sets standards of excellence, imparts a sense of urgency, has exuberant commitment, keeps the big picture in view, provides the ability to deal with failures and is tough while being fair with people. He/she is someone the followers look toward for guidance, problem resolution, comfort, support and help.
Both managers and leaders have some power over their subordinates. (I wrote about the powers of a manager in this column on Aug 19, 2007.) Leaders tend to make use of "referent power" a lot more than managers do.
Leadership is a dynamic relationship between leaders and followers, and it is based on mutual influence and common purpose. In a successful relationship, both leaders and followers benefit in achieving a higher level of motivation and moral development as they affect real and intended change.
Management can be turned into a science by developing methods, processes and rules to manage. But leadership is more art than science and can change significantly with the culture of the organization and the task-relevant maturity of the followers.
So, as you can see, while a manager can be appointed just to head up a group, it takes vision, hard work, courage and skills to become an effective leader. And, leadership can be fragile and easily lost if you let down your followers. A leader must occasionally look behind to see that someone is following.
Retired Gen. and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell sums this up the best: "Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible."
Sept. 14, 2007 05:30 PM
Microchip Technology Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Sanghi offers practical help for your real-life business challenges.
Question: I'm a middle manager for a medium-size company. I'm trying to continuously improve my managerial skills to grow in the company. I continuously come across the words "Manager" and "Leader" used interchangeably. How would you describe the difference between a manager and a leader?
-Charles, Chandler Answer: Congratulations for committing yourself to continuous improvement, and thank you for asking this very thoughtful question. There are very significant differences between a manager and a leader.
A manager can be assigned or appointed to head up a department or an organization. But a leader has to be chosen by the followers. A leader is not a leader without followers. A manager can follow a cookie-cutter process to manage a department or a franchised store. But a leader is a lot more than just the person in charge.
A leader provides long-term vision for the organization. He/she sets priorities, grabs hold of tough problems, sets standards of excellence, imparts a sense of urgency, has exuberant commitment, keeps the big picture in view, provides the ability to deal with failures and is tough while being fair with people. He/she is someone the followers look toward for guidance, problem resolution, comfort, support and help.
Both managers and leaders have some power over their subordinates. (I wrote about the powers of a manager in this column on Aug 19, 2007.) Leaders tend to make use of "referent power" a lot more than managers do.
Leadership is a dynamic relationship between leaders and followers, and it is based on mutual influence and common purpose. In a successful relationship, both leaders and followers benefit in achieving a higher level of motivation and moral development as they affect real and intended change.
Management can be turned into a science by developing methods, processes and rules to manage. But leadership is more art than science and can change significantly with the culture of the organization and the task-relevant maturity of the followers.
So, as you can see, while a manager can be appointed just to head up a group, it takes vision, hard work, courage and skills to become an effective leader. And, leadership can be fragile and easily lost if you let down your followers. A leader must occasionally look behind to see that someone is following.
Retired Gen. and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell sums this up the best: "Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible."
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Harlan Schillinger
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9:32 AM
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