Management And Leadership 5 As A Leader example essay topic

Differences Between Management and Leadership Management and leadership are often used in the same context, yet they do not mean the same thing. Managers think incrementally, while leaders think radically. The difference in the perspectives is that leaders tend to lead with emotion and concern for their subordinates. Managers tend to follow guidelines and company policies. Managers also use management functions to achieve their desired goals.

Loyalty is important amongst leaders. Team members tend to be more loyal to their leaders than their managers. This is due in part to leaders accepting the blame for when things go wrong, celebrating team / group achievements and giving credit when it is due. Managers do not interact with their subordinates as much as leaders do.

A manager is someone who must be obeyed and a leader is someone who people choose to follow. The fact that teams can operate without a leader defines leaders as an asset and not essential to team success. Managers and leaders may often clash due to difference of opinions and views. Although a team is knowledgeable on who the manager is, a subordinate may often appear to be an informal leader. At this point a manager may feel that his or her authority may be in question. Managers must be able to accept ideas and views from their subordinates.

Although, they (managers) may have the formal education for their position, it is experience and common knowledge that sets leaders apart from managers. Management usually consists of people who are experienced in their field, and who have worked their way up the company. A manager knows how each layer of the system works Management and Leadership 4 and may also possess a good technical knowledge. A leader can be a new arrival to a company who has bold, fresh, new ideas but might not have experience or wisdom The role of a leader is to ensure that the desired tasks and guidelines are implemented throughout the team. Managers can not be everywhere at once, which is why leaders are often put into place to echo management's requirements. Leaders are the link between the team and management.

Therefore leaders should show more compassion and understanding of the team. Since they interact with the team more frequently, they can speak on the team's behalf for the positive and negative. Leaders must show emotion when dealing with the team. They can better assess the needs of the team and relay this back to the manager. A manager oversees the outcome of a plan and leaders enforce the requirements. The breakdown of the Army is depicted in the differences between managers and leaders.

Commissioned officers are the managers and Non-Commissioned Officers are the leaders of soldiers. In order to effectively create a healthy organizational culture, managers and leaders must work together and have generally the same views. Although this is not always possible, a general compromise must be put into play in order to accomplish a common goal. As a leader, it is my job to ensure that my soldiers can function effectively both in garrison and in war. It is my job to train and enrich the mentality of my soldiers and be there for them both in the good and the bad. As a leader you must make your team feel comfortable with you leadership style and know that they can depend on you to be there for them.

Management and Leadership 5 As a leader, we must do things that we may not totally agree with, yet stay within the guidelines and regulations that we are governed by. Telling people what to do does not inspire them to follow you. You have to appeal to them, showing how following them will lead to their hearts' desire. They must want to follow you enough to stop what they are doing and perhaps walk into danger and situations that they would not normally consider risking. In the military, this is known as the transformational leadership style. It takes a person with considerable character to be able to transform an individuals mind into following you.

I have often wondered in my own mind how could I persuade and individual to possibly follow me into war. As a leader we must put our own fears aside and take responsibility for our soldiers and their well being. In the military, the experience that we receive as soldiers and leaders is an invaluable tool. Once we leave the world of being a soldier, our skills are often sought after in the private sector both as managers and leaders. We see this as just doing our job and abiding by the rules that govern us as soldiers, but this asset can not be learned from a book, only by experience.

I can honestly say that I have done things that I thought I would never be able to do. I feel comfortable as a leader, and strong within my convictions. In conclusion, managing and leading are two different ways to organize people. Although many leaders have a charismatic style to some extent, this does not require a loud personality. They are always good with people, and quiet styles that give credit to others (and takes blame on themselves) are very effective at creating the loyalty that great leaders engender. Management and Leadership 6 Although leaders are good with people, this does not mean they are friendly with them.

In order to keep the mystique of leadership, they often retain a degree of separation and aloofness. This does not mean that leaders do not pay attention to tasks - in fact they are often very achievement-focused. What they do realize, however, is the importance of enthusing others to work towards their vision. Management and Leadership 7

Bibliography

Pascale, Richard (1990), ' Managing on the Edge', Penguin Book, pp 65.
Fenton, John (1990), ' 101 Ways to Boost Your Business Performance', Mandarin Business, pp 113, 1990 web leader.
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