Leaders vs. Managers

I offer my own perspective on leadership.  In order to do this I will discuss my thoughts on leadership and management.  I believe leadership is a critical component of progress of any kind.  Without leadership nothing new is created or accomplished.  Leaders break brush and chart new paths (Lewis and Clark were leaders) in every aspect of life.  To steal an old Star Trek catch phrase, "they boldly go where no man has gone before". Leaders live on the peripheries and manipulate change to their advantage.  They set goals and objectives as they lay out their vision.  They provide purpose, direction, and motivation to all that surround them and focus their sphere of influence on achieving the vision.  Leaders transform chaos into order and often leave a system in their wake that managers use to maintain what the leader created. 

A leader can be a manager but a manager can’t always be a leader.  Decision makers sometimes make a poor choice when selecting someone for a leadership position.  They mistakenly place a manager in a position that requires a leader.  This is equivalent to attempting to hammer a square block into a circular hole.  Knowing the difference can be difficult and positioning a manager into the role of leader can have disastrous effects.  

I previously mentioned that managers maintain systems leaders create.  They keep systems running.  This is not a dynamic position but can be a stepping stone towards becoming a leader.  An apprentice leader will want a strong understanding of systems, how they are created, how they run, how they are fixed, and how to update them.  Managers don’t chart new paths and often demonstrate an inability to change with the times (Walmart vs. Sears and Roebuck). 

This is my perspective.  Not all will agree and there are undoubtedly better leaders out there than me.  This blog is my perspective.  If others care to weigh in on this topic they can publish their comments and we can discuss.