Difference Between Leadership and Management, Research Paper Example

 Introduction

The intentions of indicatively directing humans into a particular path is to provide them a better way of choice with which they could utilize their talents and skills at best, therefore providing the most convenient way of providing their community with the best option of development that they could contribute. Notably, this is the reason why leadership exists. Although some may say that leadership is a task only the ‘chosen people’ could complete, there exists a fact that every individual could become a good leader (Bolman, 2008). Given the idea that such an individual is able to seek proper training and experience in becoming a leader, he or she might be able to take on the responsibilities intertwined with such factor of personal and communal development.

When particular situations arise, there are instances when certain individuals begin to show their leadership skills. With the capacity to influence others, these individuals lead their communities into better situations, a specific pattern of development that most social groups are taking into account these days. Organizations [both for-profit and non-profit] all need to be lead. Relatively, such distinction on how each institution is lead towards development has a great impact on how modern organizations have flourished through time. In the discussion that follows, a distinct indication on how different leadership is from management shall be given specific attention to. During such discussion, pointing out particular elements that make these aspects of guidance difference and likely related to each other shall be shown in clear distinction on how organizations today could benefit from the said factors of progressive operation.

Understanding Leadership

Coming from the root word ‘leader’, the term leadership implies on the manner by which a person becomes capable of influencing others. Through utilizing proper speech and motivation, a leader is able to direct others into the path that they are suppose to take. They use motivation and conviction as they tend to affect the thinking process of other individuals surrounding them (Morgeson, 2005). A leader might not necessarily be assigned, he may or may not belong to a specific organization, an individual with strong leadership skills and has the conviction to live by the said personal beliefs often step up when he believes his help is needed (Meindl, et al, 2000).

For instance, in situations when particular tragedies occur, there are instances when one person rises to the occasion. Following his leadership instincts, he makes himself useful in the desire of helping others to recover from the situation. Relying on what he knows is specifically important; he creates a distinctive approach that would provide him the chance to use available resources to provide others with what they need. Motivated by his own desire to help others and help himself during such tragedy, he becomes more energized than depressed like the others. No one needs to appoint him, he just acts upon the need of doing so. Individuals like this are the ones society’s specifically rely on when everything else seems to fail. They need not be born, usually, it is the behavior that they develop through time that gives them a specific control of the situation and of themselves, allowing them to become more effective in releasing reliable decisions when it comes to emergencies.

On the other end, there are also some leaders who burst forth quietly. They provide others with the assistance that they need whenever they can even when situations are not as tough as that of the scenario presented above. What is important among such individuals is that they are able to provide the society [or at least a particular group of individuals that they can reach out to] with the inspiration that they need to be motivated enough to function well as individuals and as members of the society.

Management as Applied Leadership

Management is a process of leadership that is applied in the aim of directing and guiding people in their course of performing for a particular organization. Most often than not, there are platforms to follow along with particular options of distinctively creating guidelines for the people to follow. Unlike plain leadership as it is, management takes on a specific pattern of directing people for them to reach a certain goal that the organization is specifically rooted upon. Managers themselves are given particular set of goals that they should accomplish. Such guidelines of goals shall be used on the aspect of creating a more dependable system of leadership that they are supposed to apply to be able to reach out to the people that they are supposed to lead and to create practical solutions to particular issues that the organization may be subjected to.

In the field of business, competition is a common scenario. This fact all the more requires leaders to be existent within the said institutions. The desire of being on top of the competing belt of different organizations enjoined within a specific industry makes it necessary for these institutions to rely on the driving force of a seemingly powerful and effective leader. Even if an organization has the most efficient workers, if they are not lead properly, then they cannot be expected to perform well in the face of competition. Managers, acting as leaders serve as the primary gears to the organization. Without them, even a well-oiled machine would not be able to function as expected.

Considerably, their role instantiates a great impact on however an organization is going to turn out in the end; whether or not it may be successful in reaching the goals the administrators specifically established for it. Not only do managers take charge of the people, they are also expected to take note on how each operation that the organization is involved with gets practically handled. In the process of doing so, these individuals also need to make sure that the right people are assigned to the right positions (McGrath, 2001). There are many aspects of tasks that managers are expected to take into consideration. Being good leaders as part of their behavior and their being would actually help in providing them the right skills to handle all the different responsibilities they have on their shoulders (Mumford, 2000).

Reflection and Learning

Taken from the discussions presented herein, it could be realized that leadership is more of an attitude while management is its platform of application. Individuals who have the right behavior towards leadership provide better options of management for the organizations they work for. From such type of attitude towards their task, it could be analyzed that these leaders are able to bring out the best from the people and bring in the best results for the organization. Relatively, such condition of development requires strict attention to details. Good managers with proper leadership skills are able to attain such type of development, a matter of concern for most organizations around the globe today.

Conclusion

In the face of tough competition and specific point of diversity among all individuals around the globe who are coming together to work for the hope of becoming economically free and liberalized, it could be noted how strong leadership is needed. Management operations in most businesses are designed to specifically allow people the chance to realize their course of performance and how it could help everyone in an institution to thrive within a relative culture of progress. Notably, this distinct identification of what leadership is and how its application helps in the development of management provides a clear indication on how behavior and actual situations connive to create a specific individual fit to take on the challenge of managing groups of individuals who are directed towards progressive development, an option desired by everyone in the society today.

References:

Bolman, L.G. (2008). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership. Jossey-Bass Publishing.

McGrath, J. E. (2001). Leadership behavior: Some requirements for leadership training. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Civil Service Commission.

Meindl, J. R., & Ehrlich, S. B. (2000). The romance of leadership and the evaluation of organizational performance. Academy of Management Journal, 30(1), 91-109.

Morgeson, F. P. (2005). The External Leadership of Self-Managing Teams: Intervening in the Context of Novel and Disruptive Events. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(3), 497-508.

Mumford, M. D. (2000). Leadership in the organizational context: Conceptual approach and its application. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 16(6), 508-531.