Free Custom «Leaders and Managers» Essay Paper

Leadership refers to the act of establishing a new direction and vision for a group of people (Simerson & Venn, 2006). These people must be able to trust and follow you appropriately. Management on the other hand ensures that people/resources follow prior set principles and values (Williamson, 1986).One may think that a manager and a leader are the same however, the two are not similar. The effective manager requires leadership qualities to be able to perform his duties efficiently (Simerson & Venn, 2006). Leaders on the other hand possess natural talents that inspire other people to follow and be loyal. These leadership qualities maybe prevalent in some managers however most of them do not possess them (Hickman, 1990). These managers may have these qualities to some degree that can be developed through coaching and training. The best avenue for improving leadership skills is through coaching and training whereby one joins a club an organisation or other resources (Hickman, 1990). Managers who do not have these leadership qualities end up working harder than their counterparts in order to achieve the same results. These managers may end up overworking themselves and in so doing may develop a belief that their subordinates are incapable of performing decent jobs.These managers are better off delegating duties or leading their workers into structured working networks (Hickman, 1990). Mangers with appropriate leadership skills are able to achieve higher ranks as compared to those who do not possess these vital skills (Hickman, 1990).The manager is obliged to use the dynamics of leadership to his advantage. Otherwise, managers who do not possess good leadership skills may have their subordinates quit their jobs because they think that the organisations or companies management is poor (Hickman, 1990).One distinct characteristic of a manager is the use of authoritarian rule. Managers have subordinates who are placed under the manager by the organisations structure (Simerson & Venn, 2006). The managers are endowed with a position of authority which is vested to them by their organisation or company. Their subordinates work according to their regulations and directive. This management style is referred to as transactional in that the subordinates are told what to do. The subordinates are usually promised rewards for the work done. Managers are required to maintain focus on their subordinates/resources in order to get the best results. This is the primary reason why companies and organisations hire managers in various departments or branches (Williamson, 1986).

 

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Managers are also known to seek comfort by living fairly normal comfortable lives this makes them be risk averse and usually avoid conflict where possible.These have followers and not subordinates especially during the time they are playing the leadership role. Many leaders in organisations do not have subordinates. Some of them may hold managerial roles but they give them up in an attempt to leave authoritarian rule. Because leading requires followers one might have to engage in voluntary activitiesLeaders usually have a charismatic and transformational style. Telling people what to do or carry out does not compel them t follow you. In fact one has to inspire, through appealing to them to follow their personal desires (Hickman, 1990). Charismatic leaders find it easy to gain followers (Simerson & Venn, 2006). This is because the followers feel compelled to follow their heart desires. The leader has to promise transformational benefits. This means that the followers will not only receive transformational benefits but will become better people. The lives of the followers will change to the better because they are inspired to do what they are interested in (Hickman, 1990).Many leaders are charismatic but they do not always have a loud personality, they are also good with people and are quick to give credit where one deserves and often take the blame. Leaders are not necessarily friends with their followers. They tend to maintain some level of separation in order to retain the leadership mystique. Therefore, the leaders have to stay focussed to tasks and are often results oriented and often encourage other people to peruse visions in order to succeed.

Leaders are risk seeking. This separates them from the risk-averse managers. Leaders are not thrill seekers. Remember, they are motivated by success. When following their visions these leaders consider it normal to encounter various challenges and difficulties during this pursuit for success. Therefore, these leaders often pursue avenues that other people avoid and are often get to break rules and regulations in order to get things done. Research has shown that a good number of these leaders had personal disabilities which they overcame during the course of time some had physical challenges or traumatic childhoods this in a way helped them develop independence of the mind during their struggle to overcome these challenges (Williamson, 1986).The difference between leaders and managers can be seen in the following examples.Leadership without management: this entails setting goals and visions and subsequently pursuing them without taking into consideration how these set goals will be achieved. This prompts other people to work extra harder in order to make the vision achievableManagement without leadership; Here the manager ensures that everything is done in such a way that everything proceeds according to plan (Simerson & Venn, 2006). In this case the manager does not seek new change e or direction. The manager is endowed with the role of maximising the output of the company through the following functionsOrganising, staffing, planning, directing and controllingIn some cases symbolic leadership does occur where some leaders act as figure heads without actually motivating the followers. This is usually the case in situations whereby groups with a common desire get a leader amongst themselves this leader may play the role of being a figure head. An example of this case can be seen when nelson Mandela who was viewed as South African leader despite being in prison.In some instances leadership is not required .This is seen in the case of self motivational groups. These groups do not have any distinct leader because decisions are done through democratic and consultative means (Simerson & Venn, 2006). On top of this each individual has the set goals and obligations therefore there is not much inspiration required. However, management is always required and cannot be done simultaneously by a group of people within the same organisation. The manager plays as a role model (Hickman, 1990). This duty cannot be delegated to subordinates. The perspective of thinking in managers is different from that of leaders. Leaders do the right thing which means that they follow their intuition whereas managers do thing right; which means that he/she follows the guidelines to the letter hence performing the job in the way that he/she is expected to. The leader may benefit the company more than the manager (Simerson & Venn, 2006). The leader is much more emotional than the manager. It is argued that people tend to follow their emotions rather than their intelligence. This makes teams much more inclined to the leader.The role of the manager and that of the leader are different. The manager is a risk-averse individual who follows the set plans in his endeavour to run an organisation. On the other hand the leader is a risk-taker and will follow what he/she believes is right. The leader will inspire followers to join him in pursuit of various goals and visions. Leadership is natural skill (Simerson & Venn, 2006). People are born with different levels of leadership skills. Practising your leadership skills may improve one's management skills as well. This is because the manager with leadership skills is able to delegate roles as well as inspire his subordinates to carry the objectives of the company at heart.