Management and Leadership in the Context of Business Environment.

What Is The Right Proposition Of Leadership And Management In Different Businesses?

One of the intellectual challenges in this business era is pondering the questions such as what are the differences between management versus leadership. Or what could be the right proposition for leadership and management concerning business maturity level? In general or as a potential individual who owns both skills what could be the right proposition of these essential values in a startup, SMB, or larger cooperate?

On the same note, in order to reflect some light on heads-up clues, we can use a well-known statement by Peter Drucker, "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."

Before anything, it would be declared that the mixture of leadership and management besides all the other elements depends on the maturity level of the business or even division. The more mature the business or division the less management and more leadership ingredient. The other fact that interferes with leading and leadership versus management and managing is the time and resources scopes. Leading is more a matter of cultivating, trimming, and nurturing people by inspiring and showing the ways and letting them shape themselves toward elevation professionally and personally. Whereas management is dealing with short-scope goals. It is more or less the deployment of well-practiced work frames which are result oriented. It is more involved with structuring, shaping, and systems placement.

In order have some light on the differences between leadership and management dark spots let’s dig into this matter further.

Leaders create a vision, managers create goals.

Leaders draw a picture of what they see as possible and inspire and engage their teams in turning that vision into reality. They inspire people to be part of something greater. Whereas, managers focus on setting, assessing, and achieving targets and goals. They control situations to reach or overachieve their team objectives.

Leaders are change agents, managers maintain the status quo

Leaders are proud disrupters. Innovation is their mantra. They are in the cycle of creation, destruction, and creation of something even better. They embrace change and know that even if things are working, there could be a better way forward. The best example of this could be Tibetan monks who draw a colorful mantra and as soon as they finish a masterpiece, they clean it away. However, managers stick with what works, refining systems, structures, and processes to make them better.

Leaders are unique, managers do copy

Leaders are willing to be themselves. They are self-aware and work actively to build their unique and differentiated personal brand. They are comfortable in their shoes and willing to stand out. Managers copy the competencies and behaviors they learned from others and adopt their leadership style rather than defining it.

Leaders take risks, managers control risk

Leaders are willing to try new things even if they may fail miserably. They know that failure is often a step on the path to success. Managers work to minimize risk. They seek to avoid or control problems rather than embrace them.

Leaders are in it for the long haul, managers think short-term

Leaders have intentionality. They do what they say they are going to do and stay motivated toward a big, often very distant goal. Not only do they remain motivated but also, they keep their team in the same manner. Managers work on shorter-term goals, seeking more regular acknowledgment or accolades.

Leaders grow personally, and managers rely on existing, proven skills

Leaders know if they aren’t learning something new every day, they’re falling behind. They are a real example of KAIZEN. They seek out people and information that will expand their thinking. Managers often double down on what made them successful, optimizing existing skills and adopting the best practices.

Leaders build relationships, managers build systems and processes

Leaders focus on people – all the stakeholders they need to influence to realize their vision. They know who their stakeholders are and spend most of their time with them. They build loyalty and trust by consistently delivering on their promise. Managers focus on the structures necessary to set and achieve goals. They focus on the analytical and ensure systems are in place to attain desired outcomes.

Leaders coach, managers direct

Leaders know that people who work for them have the answers or can find them. They see their people as competent and are optimistic about their potential. They resist the temptation to tell their people what to do and how to do it. Managers assign tasks and guide how to accomplish them.

Leaders create fans, managers have employees

Leaders have people who go beyond following them; their followers become their raving fans and fervent promoters – helping them build their brand and achieve their goals. Their fans help them increase their visibility and credibility. Managers have staff who follow directions and seek to please the boss. Now it is your turn to answer the question of whether are a manager or leader, or both. Of course, for people who have both capabilities, the context of the business environment such as market, industry, time, resources, the maturity level of the business, and even division would matter.