The Great Divide: Management versus Leadership
It is a natural human tendency to differentiate and categorise, so it’s not surprising that distinctions between management and leadership are commonly made. For anyone focussed on developing their own leadership capacity, it is useful to consider what each means in your role.
“Manager” is a formal role in an organisation, which involves supervising others in some capacity. This may be at various levels, as a team leader, a supervisor or a manager. Management involves practical functions.
The role of “leader”, on the other hand, may not involve any formal role or function at all. Leadership involves personal presence and impact.
A table of the differences might look like this:
The best managers have leadership traits, and the best leaders often become managers. So, what does this mean for you?
For managers and aspiring managers
Management training is very practical and well suited to people who like outcomes, tools and useful applications. The typical tools covered in a management program, such as delegation plans, performance management systems and feedback templates, are extremely useful to and appreciated by participants.
If you have recently been put into a formal management role, undertaking a management program will be useful and practical. You will learn valuable skills and gain a toolbox full of ideas, pro formas and methods to use as soon as you return to work.
For leaders in waiting
If you are looking to understand yourself, particularly your strengths, or you want to develop your own leadership style, a leadership program will offer you more than management training.
Leadership programs help people to explore themselves, their leadership styles, personalities and abilities to influence others . More personal and philosophical, these programs allow for interesting discussions about matters such as the importance of the skill of followship, case studies of historical world leaders and how styles of leadership have changed over time.
Before choosing, spend some time considering your current role and your career goals. It could be that you want both skill sets!
Margo
Contributor – Margo, Ancora Learning Specialist Facilitator
Margo specialises in the soft skills (which, she says, are the hard skills) of management and leadership. Apart from delivering practical management programs, some of her specialty areas are influencing others, personal presence and group dynamics.
For more information on our Leadership & Management Training
call 1300 ANCORA (262672)
