“Manage things…lead people” Admiral Grace Murray Hopper

When one becomes a Manager, do they automatically become a Leader? What does it take for one to become a Manager or a Leader? Can both Management and Leadership be successfully embraced in one person?

In any organization, “Management” and “Leadership” are two terms that are used almost on a daily basis. Our experience suggests that more often than not, the two concepts are used interchangeably and distinction can become somewhat blurred. There is a general misconception amongst many that one can be the other and there seems to be a lack of clarity of the distinction between the two. Although these two concepts are not mutually exclusive, it is important to note that they are distinct. Sustainable organizational success requires a healthy balance between the two concepts.

Management has been defined by many scholars including Henri Fayol, Newman and Summer as well as Peter Drucker as ultimately the formal act of achieving an organization’s objectives through planning, organizing, coordinating and controlling of various resources of the organization including material, financial, time and human resources. A Manager controls systems, resources and standards in an organization in order for the organization to achieve its primary objectives. The focus of management is getting the work done. It also involves adapting the organization to its environment in order to exploit opportunities in the environment. On the other hand John Maxwell defines leadership as the ability to influence others to achieve a common objective. Whereas management is about controlling and directing resources according to established policies and procedures, leadership is about inspiration and influencing people where they voluntarily subscribe to a vision and are intrinsically motivated to achieving it. Although it is desirous that every manager has the ability to influence subordinates, this ability to influence may not necessarily reside in every Manager.

In organizations, being in a position of authority is mistakenly construed as leadership. In any organization a “Manager” is a structural authority role – authority is derived from the structure. Managers are such because they occupy positions of authority. This structural authority emphasizes subordinates, command, control, instruction and compliance to policies and procedures. The focus is on ensuring that the organization’s work and tasks are completed as necessary. However, these tasks are undertaken by employees – people who think and act in their own way.

It is important for any Manager to realize that the way the human resources are managed is totally different from all other resources. Employees require leadership – a competence that Managers should have over and above their primary technical competencies. Leadership is not about commanding, instructions, controlling – it is about followers voluntarily believing and committing to the vision of the leader. It is about the Leader’s ability to sell a concept and getting others to be excited and motivated about it – this creates the relevant team energy that spurs everyone to superior performance. A good Leader has the ability to break down such psychological barriers as “fear” that are brought about by structural authority. This enables employees to relate to the Leader at a level of comfort, ensuring that the necessary trust and confidence is built into the relationship.

We have observed that many Managers, by virtue of occupying positions of authority in an organization, want to think that they are “Leaders”. However a closer analysis shows that there is a lot more to be done in order to transform Managers into Leaders. Being in a position of authority is a good starting point – however that does not automatically define one as a Leader. In many organizations, succession systems primarily focus on technical competence without equipping these Managers with leadership skills which are critical for success in the managerial roles. This has resulted in Managers who “manage things” but fail to lead people. Organizations should do more in terms of developing robust systems for capacitating Managers with leadership skills. For effectiveness, leadership skills should be nurtured way before the person is appointed into the managerial. The ability to influence and inspire cannot entirely be achieved through attending leadership seminars but more importantly through practice in the workplace.

Because management is about authority, control and coordination, it is relatively easy to perform as it is derived from the organization structure. Leadership is however more complex as it requires the Manager to be able to sell a vision to staff, build energy through motivation and be able to continually inspire people to explore their full potential. It inspires people to do more than just the narrow focus of their jobs. Effective leadership enables the integration of individual employees’ aspirations into organizational goals and ensuring achievement of both.

Management is important in terms of achieving the basic objectives of the organization in a disciplined manner but effective leadership drives sustainable superior performance. A balance of the two dimensions is critical for organizational sustainability. What truly distinguishes leadership from management is the ability influence and inspire and not structural power and control.

Emmanuel Jinda is the Managing Consultant of PROSERVE Consulting Group, a leading supplier of Professional Human Resources and Management services locally, regionally and internationally. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. tel: 263 773004143 or 263 4 772778