Leader Vs Manager

Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing. The difference may be summarized as activities of vision and judgment — effectiveness —versus activities of mastering routines — efficiency.

The floowing points below indicates key words that further make the distinction between the two functions:

1. The manager administers; the leader innovates.

2. The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.

3. The manager maintains; the leader develops.

4. The manager accepts reality; the leader investigates it.

5. The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.

6. The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.

7. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.

8. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

9. The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader has his or her eye on the horizon.

10. The manager imitates; the leader originates.

11. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.

12. The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.

13. The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.

The most dramatic differences between leaders and managers are found at the extremes: poor leaders are despots, while poor managers are bureaucrats in the worst sense of the word. Whilst leadership is a human process and management is a process of resource allocation, both have their place and managers must also perform as leaders. All first-class managers turn out to have quite a lot of leadership ability.