Social Work Roger Plachy's 1986 book When I Lead, Why Don't They Follow? distinguishes the difference between a manager and a leader. The book also offers specific tools and techniques to improve effectiveness at being both a manager and a leader. A core tenet of When I Lead, Why Don't They Follow is that leadership entails the expression of values. Leaders inspire because they mirror the values held by their followers. Plachy suggests that when followers subsequently empower leaders to advocate on their behalf, the leader becomes a "leader-manager." Similarly, when a person in a designated managerial role begins to express the values held by subordinates or colleagues, that person becomes a leader-manager. The hybrid leader-manager role is one that characterizes the social work profession.

Social workers straddle the line between leadership and management because of their role as guides, helpers, and advocates. These multiple...

One of the most notable points about leadership that Plachy makes in When I Lead, Why Don't They Follow is that keaders do not need to be charismatic. Although many leaders are charismatic individuals, leadership itself does not depend on the trait of charisma. Social workers are not necessarily cast in the role of trying to evangelize or crusade as a charismatic leader might. However, some social workers will need to draw from a wellspring of inner drive and vision to empower others and gain their support.
Helping others to reach their goals is really what defines a leader; which is also the role that a social worker fulfills. Leaders must be visionary and future-oriented. Social workers assess the present in order to create better futures. The bond that develops between a leader and…