Discussion: Leading Versus Managing

Subject: Management
Pages: 2
Words: 646
Reading time:
3 min
Study level: School

Similarities in Managing Versus Leading

Leadership is the ability to encourage or guide people within an organization by inspiring and motivating members of a team. Management is the capability to govern and deal with people and developments and also ensure that employees meet their expectations and duties. Leading and managing are similar in that both require the ability to efficiently work well with people and the ability to handle various characters. Another common thing is that those in management and leadership roles need to comprehend how their team operates and what methods can help them prosper. Both leadership and management have authority roles as long as they have a goal that needs to be achieved. In both leadership and management, team members look upon the employee’s behavior and are gauged based on the actions of the leaders and managers.

Differences between Leadership and Management

Leading and managing are different in that managers tell their group members what to do while leaders set expectations. Managers delegate roles to people, ensure that all members understand their roles, and provide resources to ensure that employees succeed. Leaders work to develop objectives and prospects in their leading positions and also act as role models to their followers ( Zewde & Kassa, 2021). In managing, the roles of the supervisors are followed, while in leadership, leaders act based on what is best for their associates. Managers work under someone and they only make sure team members follow the set orders while leading the well-being of the employees considered. In managing, only progress is measured, while in leadership, growth and motivation are measured. Managers use tools to weigh the success of their team members to deliver positive feedback to the administrator, while leaders encourage personnel to offer their best and help them to overcome barriers that may deter them from achieving their objectives.

Self-Assessment on Ability to Manage and Lead

Creating a Shared Vision

As a leader, I can create a shared vision that is compelling and inspiring to an organization by first explaining the situation honestly. Finally, together with the team members, we will identify basic strategies and put in place operational integrity that will support moving forward. Creating a vision will include planning on involving all members and ensuring effective communication among all the team members.

Communication Skills

Communication is vital in all organizations because employees work based on the information delivered. As a leader, I am good at negotiating and brainstorming ideas. I also comprehend skills that are vital in creating understanding with the personnel I work with. As a manager, interpretation skills are important when translating messages and ensuring people understand the strategies in place. Resolving conflict is another strength that enables me to ensure people work together and in harmony.

Motivating Change

It is easy for me to motivate change when I am working as a leader because then there is no pressure, and most decisions are made based on what is best for my team members. I cannot motivate change as a manager because managers tend to force things to be done which is not my nature. In motivating change, my leadership skills will work more compared to my management skills because motivating involves persuading and making people understand the positivity in the new idea you want to implement.

Self-Improvement Areas

My managing skills in motivating change are lower compared to my leadership skills. I will work to improve on how to command people and make sure they follow the rules in place. In terms of communication skills, I will ensure to deliver the correct message from the supervisor to the employees, which is still a challenge for me. My managing skills in motivating change overlap my leadership skills because I tend to demand people follow something new whenever I feel that it is the right thing to do, another area I would like to improve.

Reference

Belete Zewde, A., & Mitiku Kassa, S. (2021). Hierarchical multilevel optimization with multiple-leaders multiple-followers setting and nonseparable objectives. RAIRO – Operations Research. Web.