Distinguishing the roles of leaders and managers in organizations

Leadership and Management

The Role of Leaders and Managers in an Organization

Leaders and managers serve important but distinct roles within an organization. While the title of "leader" isn't exclusive to those in only upper level positions within a company, the title manager usually almost signifies and assigned rank within an organization. In the following paragraphs, we look at the roles of both leaders and managers in more detail.

The Role of Leader

A leader is a person who sets the vision for the organization. They are the captains, they navigate often unknown territory, make strategic decisions in an effort to steer the organization to higher levels of success and to meet the organizations' missions and goals. Leaders inspire, they educate and they motivate. Leaders persuade and influence others well. An effective leader is able to clearly communicate the vision of the organization and effectively encourages the organizations members and other stakeholders to "get on board" and support the direction in which the organization is heading. Effective leadership is not about making others do what you want but rather about leading them so that they want to do what you want them to do.

Typically, within an organization, a leader holds a senior management title. Titles such as CEO, CFO and Senior Vice President are often consider "leadership" roles. Keeping in mind that all those in leadership roles may or may not be true leaders and because a person does not hold a leadership title doesn't preclude them from being a leader. We will discuss these concepts later in this paper.

Similarities and Differences between Leaders and Managers

Leaders and managers both have a central job to do, which is to steer an organization in the desired direction, ensure that the organization is moving in the desired direction and to remove any roadblocks or impediments that may exist along the way. Leaders and managers are both on the lines for the success of the organization. Both roles are responsible for ensuring the members of the organization are actively engaged. Both roles are responsible for reporting results are held accountable either by other managers, upper management, stakeholders and the shareholders of the organization.

The role of leadership and management often overlap; however, the words leader and manager are not synonyms and should not be used interchangeably without thought. All managers are not leaders and leaders are not managers (a discussion about this follows in the next part of this paper).

Leaders are responsible for strategic direction, they are the visionaries, their primary goal is to add value and guide the organization to succeed in its competitive environment. Decisions made by leaders affect the entire organization. The role of a leader is to not only operate in the present but to look ahead and ensure future success and longevity of the organization. Leaders without long-term views and who can only see and prepare for what is right in front of them, rather than prepare for long-term challenges and opportunities are usually not successful.

Managers usually are on "the front lines" meaning they usually deal directly with staff, suppliers and customers. Those in management positions usually have the job of hiring staff and firing them when necessary. Management handles complaints from customers and disputes among employees. On the other hand, those who are in leadership positions usually don't deal directly with staff or customers, their main concern are the main stakeholders and shareholders of the organization. They may also deal with the media and work to forge strategic relationships with potential partners. Again managers are usually involved in the tactical and operations aspects of an organization, while leaders are usually involved in the strategic planning and direction.

All Managers Are Not Leaders

There is a profound difference between management and leadership, and both are important. To manage means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct. Leading is influencing, guiding in a direction, course, action, opinion. The distinction is crucial (Bennis 2009). It is a fallacy to assume that all managers are leaders. In fact, it's not true that those in leadership positions are leaders! . Yes, managing others requires a certain skill but being a leader is a skill set all to its own. Leaders lead, they influence and persuade others to take actions and desired behaviors. Managers usually rely heavily on control (making others do what they want them to); whereas leaders usually rely on trust. In conclusion, all managers are not leaders. Being a leader is not a title you can assign, but rather a possession of specific traits and characteristics that bring about desired results.