Leadership vs. Management (Understanding the Difference Matters)

 

 

 

 

 

John Kotter, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Business School, is a renowned authority on leadership. He compares and contrasts leadership and management characteristics in numerous books and publications. 

Kotter's thesis is that leadership and management require different mindsets. It also means managers don’t have to be great leaders—and some leaders may not have the title “manager.” But in order to have a good company and a great team, you need both.

In this post, I'll provide a summary of how John Kotter describes the mindsets and skillsets of managers and leaders as well as my own perspective on the distinctions and similarities. For a deeper dive, I'd recommend reading Kotter's groundbreaking book, A Force For Change: How Leadership Differs from Management.

According to Kotter:

Management is about complexity. Work will not happen properly without complexity. Complexity requires management.

 Management includes:

•  Staffing
•  Budgeting
•  Controlling
•  Measuring
•  Problem solving 

Managers create processes that produce predictable results.

Leadership is about change. And change is eternal.

Leadership includes:

•  Motivating
•  Aligning
•  Recognizing patterns
•  Creating visions and strategies

Leaders create processes that produce the next level of results.

In my view:

Leadership and management overlap because communication and relationship skills are needed to be effective in both roles.
 
Relationship skills include:

•  Connecting with others
  
•  Having influence
•  Strong, positive networks
  
•  Conversational intelligence
  
•  Emotional intelligence
•  Being coach-like
  

Leaders and managers also want what’s best for their team and their company. As a result, even though they sometimes approach things in different ways, both leaders and managers work with the same goal in mind.

Leaders and managers:

•  Connect work to company goals. In order for a team member to do their best work, they need to understand how their daily work contributes to team and company objectives. Providing this clarity can help team members better prioritize to get their most high-impact work done.

• Value two-way communication. Whether you’re communicating a goal to the entire team or connecting with a team member during a 1:1 meeting, two-way communication is the best way to make sure your team feels heard and valued. To become a good two-way communicator, practice sourcing feedback, processing what you’re hearing, and then acting on it.

•  Invest in the development of their team. Supporting and mentoring team members shows up in a lot of different ways. From mentoring and coaching to career development conversations and 1:1 meetings, leaders and managers are both invested in helping their team do their best work.

Whether you’re a manager, a leader, or both, learning to differentiate between the two roles can help you develop skills for each. 

In my opinion, the best managers think and act like leaders. A viewpoint that is summarized in this quote:

"Leadership is about the future, while management is about dealing with the here and now. A great leader inspires others to achieve results they themselves didn't think possible. A great manager, on the other hand, brings clarity, provides feedback, and helps their team develop the competencies and skill sets necessary to navigate their day-to-day work.” —Bill Thanhouser, COO, Asana 

Click here to download a one-page infographic about the differences and similarities between leaders and managers.

To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

 

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