Leadership and Management: A Comparison of Roles and Characteristics

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This essay delves into the fundamental differences between leaders and managers, exploring their distinct roles, characteristics, and approaches within an organizational context. It begins by contrasting the two concepts, highlighting that while leadership qualities are essential for effective management, the reverse is not necessarily true. The essay then examines the personality traits and characteristics associated with both leaders and managers, emphasizing how leaders inspire and motivate, while managers focus on control and problem-solving to achieve organizational goals. It explores different approaches to leadership and management, including the importance of vision, motivation, and guidance. The essay further discusses the roles of leaders in boosting morale, setting visions, and providing guidance, and the planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling functions of managers. The conclusion underscores the importance of understanding these differences for effective organizational leadership and management.
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Table of content
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………. 2
Mangers vs Leader personality and character ………………………………….……. 2
Defining a leader ………………………………………………………….…………. 6
Leaders and their role in an organization …………………………….…………… 8
Manger and their role in an organization …………………………………..………….. 9
Approached to leadership and manager ………………………………………………..
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LEADERS VS MANAGERS EASY
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Introduction
Leadership and managers hip are not related terms as many believed, for one to lead, he does not
require the managerial position of leadership, but for a manager to be considered competence
enough, he must possess traits of leadership in him. A manager has to provide leadership to the
organization, or to junior staff and his group at large. A successful manager must perform the
following functions if he is to achieve the set goals, for himself or the organization that is
Planning, Organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. As we can see, leadership is part of the
functions hence leadership term is not related to Manageraliship at all (Northhouse G,, 2007)
. A leader is a leader by qualities, an example of the class prefect, youth group leader, women
group leader. They are not necessarily managers but leaders out of their positive character that
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attracts those who are in dire needs of leadership. A manager can be a leader, but a leader cannot
necessarily be a manager. Manager pushes people to do things to achieve some goals but a leader
will inspire people into acting, and together they work toward achieving goals.
Manager vs. Leader Personality/characteristics
Every society gives an answer as to who is a leader with each society having different answers to
that question that expresses concerns on purpose, distributing and use of the power that comes
with leadership. The business world has produced and evolved new kind of leadership in the
name of managers and at the same time establishing new power custom that emphasizes on
collective leadership over individual leadership. Ensuring the capability, courage, sharing of
power between an individual with the potential of managerial leadership but does not necessarily
promotes creativity, innovation and ethical behaviors in giving corporate directions to its destiny
of successful enterprises. Leadership emphasizes on power to influence how individual acts
(Northhouse G,, 2007).
There are several risks when power is in hand of one person, whereby he might equate power
with ability to get immediate results and risk of forgetting theta there other was of people
acquiring power in a legitimate way and a risk of losing self-control in the process of obtaining
power. Through conservatism and inactivity different companies gives a sequence to power by
developing manager instead of one single leader amusingly this ethic develops an irresponsible
trend in the organization, of which it us support to be the source of protection against
encroachments and controls of bureaucracy in government and education.
A manager concentrated on control, the manager is a problem solver and looks for the best way
of achieving results that will ensure people keeps on contributing to the organization's growth
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hence leadership is like a calling to direct affairs through particular efforts. Several people from
different levels come together for a common goal of ensuring the manager fulfills his task. For
one to be a manager, he/she should be persistence, hardworking, able to analyses, intelligence,
sharp-minded, flexible of goodwill, tolerance and not necessarily a hero or genius.
There is a notion that only great people can be in power, authority or any leadership positions,
but leadership is psychodrama where a weak person should gain confidence in themselves to
play the role of manager and be able to control others. But into leadership, you only need to be
accepted, respected and not necessarily tough.
Leadership is inbuilt, you cannot learn on how to be a leader’s nut you can learn on how to
efficiently use leadership skills. Limitation in visualizing purposes and generating value for
work to a level where a manager is stagnant irrespective of his competency. Leadership and
managerial role should not be run by narrow purpose or with no imaginative capacity, and should
also have the ability to communicate well (Northhouse G,, 2007). Leadership ability is when
conflict is not perpetuated but reform into broader desire and goals.
There are no known ways of training leaders, but it is known that a relationship between
competent managers and longing for greatness is a recipe of good leaders and managers.
Presence of good leaders may suppress opportunity of development of managers who become
anxious in the relative disorder that leaders seem to generate. Managers and leaders are two
different kinds of people, both in personal history and in motivation and even their thought and
action.
Attitude towards goal
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Managers adopt impersonal attitudes and are not passive; they are driven by necessity, but not a
desire hence rotates around the organization history and culture.
Concept of work
Mangers accept works as a process that enables, that involves several people working together
and also includes idea form different quarters that establish strategies and make decisions for the
sake of the organization. Managers should be able to make good plans for overcoming the
controversial situation, reducing tension in the organization, it brings out a character of a
manager who is flexible, can negotiate and bargain and at the same time use rewards,
punishment and other from of coercion.
Self sense
Through experience earned from different religion, William James paint a picture of 2 types of
characteristics of people who end up in leadership, “once-born” and “twice-born.” Those who
are in the former category of personality are flexible to life changes, they live a straightforward
and real holistic life they enjoy a stress free life, a peaceful life throughout their lives. While
those on the later categories have had a rough life, they have never enjoyed a smooth life with
their lives having unending strive to survive. They are serious in whatever they, anything in their
life means something and cannot be take for granted unlike those of the category One born. The
two personalities differ on their perspective to life and the world at large. Once born category,
have a character whereby they are driven by that feeling of satisfaction, they are live in a
comfortable zone unlike the twice born whose driving force is that feeling of hard work pays,
nothing like soft zone in life.
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That feeling of belonging, sense of responsibility has an effective impact on the kind of decision
manager and leaders makes in their careers, including the investment they choose to make.
Managers visualizes themselves as the sole controller of the affairs surrounding them, in which
they try to prove and in the long run they receive their rewards in form of success in their
endeavor. Successful establishing and strengthening of existing institution brings a sense of self
worth the manager who implements the initiative. The manager carries on a duty of balancing
ideals of duty and those of responsibility, hence the sense of self as easy going and well
describing the character of a once born category.
Most leaders have the character of twice-born category, people who do not associate themselves
with their surroundings. Irrespective of working for a particular organization, they still do not
feel part and parcel of the organization, they are not defined by where they belong or where there
membership is. The reason why some people seek opportunities for change is because of the
perception of identity, their task and other social indicators. Methods bringing change may be
physical, political, or ideological, but the end result is the same to affect the human, economic
status and lifestyle.
Two different course of life history is used to define well the development of a leader.
Development through
1. Socialization, whereby it prepares an individual to take control of an institution and maintain
current balance of social relations
2. Personal Mastery, this encourages and individual to strive for change needed, both
psychological and social. The society produce its managerial talent through first line of
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development while leaders comes up from the second development stage of leadership
Everybody’s development start at the family level, each person experience shock that is related
with separating from his/her parent and aftermath pain like wrench, the same way everybody
face difficulty in adapting self regulation and self control. To others, childhood life proves then
with opportunity to find replacement to rewards which is never forthcoming. Those individual, in
once born category tries to make a moderate with parent’s figures and find a balcony between
their expectation and what life is giving them. in case the trauma of separation is magnifies by
issues of parental demand and personal wants to an extent of isolation, a point where the
individual disregard social life and interferes with the bond that is in between children and parent
or any other authority figure, the individual may deeply be involved in his or her inner worlds
instead of taking interest in the outer worlds. His self esteem becomes solely dependent on
bonding and goodwill of people.A character of self reliance leads to desire of achieving,
succession and making it and do much work than expected, self reliance is driving force that
leads to the height where otherwise one could not have reach.
If individual talents are negligible such self perceptions cannot bear any fruits if the individual
talents are not negligible. strong talents are not a guarantee that there will be achievement, even
if there is result it will not a good results, talents need character to have a good blendLeaders are
like artist who are gifted in a special being, they often struggle with neuroses, and the
performance ability varies even in little responsibilities bestowed on them. Some leaders looses
the battle and surrender to situation ending up affecting development they are meant to
implement.
After birth and early childhood and individual are growing up, their development is affected by
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people they associate with, good moral would trigger good development pattern wile bad moral
would do the opposite. Characteristics that are meant to mould and bring out the managerial
personalities are widely distributed, on the other hand leaders tries to break off from one to one
relationship as they establish themselves It has been proved that those individual who posses
great gift are always indifferent student, most achievement are made by people we least expects.
Talent is hidden treasure; it only need to be discovered, triggered, nurture and practiced so is the
leadership. Some leaders are not discovered not because they are wrong, but because the
circumstance and life at hand do not allow them to blossom to their potential
Leaders and their role in organization
A leader in an organization may be either formally or informally assigned whereby for a leader
to be assigned his ability to perform the job must convincing, like organization skill, directing
skill while informally, it is based on his character, experience or his relationship with colleagues.
Boosting morale
A leader involves him pulling everyone together and inspire them in working toward a common
goal, He lets the employees know how much he is appreciating his work with few surprises like a
birthday party of an employee and company party.
Setting the Vision
A leader will influence employee to adopt the vision of the organization and accept the future
sate of the organization. He makes the employee own the vision of the organization hence work
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towards achieving it.
Motivator
Apart from giving morale to the employee, he goes further to inquire on the needs of the
employee and meeting their needs and praise for good job they have done. This communicate
with the employees that the organization cares.
Guidance
A leader defines the role in the work process and provide them with what is required to perform
their tasks after explaining the tasks itself and being available to assist where need be.
Roles of a manager to an organization
Planning- a manager maps out clearly what and how to achieve particular goal he decides on the
step to take in order to achieve that goal, like more sales staff, increase in advertising and so on.
Those steps are developed in planning and are crucial for organization success.
Organizing – The manager organizes his team to achieve the plans the he come up with, he
assigned task to different people who will help him in achieving the plan.
Staffing – H e ensure that he has enough and right staff for the task ahead. He also plans for their
recruitment, training and development in terms of service delivery.
Leading – Apart from Managerial role, the manager also plays a leadership role hence
motivating
Controlling – He literally controls employee to do what he want and knows is good to be done.
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He is result oriented and expects nothing less that result.
Leadership - Strive to influence actions and beliefs and feelings of others
For a leadership to be effective, the leader’s quality and skills should connect with people he is
leading, and their needs both personal and leadership situation.
Leadership theory was evolved to:
- Meet needs and expectation of people at the workplace
- Derive effective leadership styles in different scenario
- Impact different leadership in the organization
APPROACHES TO LEADERSHIP STYLE
Qualities or traits approach – stated that leaders are born not made, goes further to say that
leadership is made of certain inherited personality traits or qualities.
Functional or Group approach: - states that leadership is learned and developed, leadership
emphasizes on accountability, responsibility and functions of the leader and nature of the
employee. The approach focuses on how the leaders character and behavior impact and is
impacted by the employees.
Adair’s action-centre leadership – Focuses on what leaders do and the need to balance the needs
of the individual, the task and the team
Behavioral styles approach: focuses on the behavior of people in leadership positions, the
importance
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Factors of leadership
The first forum elements of leadership that a leader must have is honestly knowing himself, his
strength, what he can and cannot achieve. Those who are led must have confidence in their
leader; otherwise, the leader will not inspire them much. inorder a leader to be successful, he/she
must convince him or herself that he is worthy.
Followers – different people requires a different type of leadership, the those who need close
supervision while other require minimum or no supervision at all, while other need to be
controlled others are independent minded. A leader should understand his people and know
what kind of leadership they want. He should also understand their emotions, how they react to
different situations. (Delhe, Sage Publications 2007)
Communication – Communication is essential in leadership, you can not be lad without
communicating. Knowing what kind of connection to use to what kind of people is important in
easing the role of leadership. How you communicate with staff or people under you determines a
lot of the respect, you expect from them.
Situations – Different situation requires a different approach. How you solved one situation is
not as the same solving another one. A leader should know what situation he is dealing with and
what is the solution to the situation. The situation has a greatere effect on the leader's action than
his character because traits may have remarkable stability over a period, they have little
consistency across situations.
Ther are various forces that affect these factors
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Your relationship with your seniors
Qualification and skill of the followers
How organized the company
The type of leaders within the organization
Bass theory of leadership
State that there is three basic way that illustrates how people rise to a leadership position. The
first two methods show the leadership development for a small number of poor.
The theories are
- Some inner, inborn character may; lead people naturally into the direction roles (Trait theory)
- The occurrence of the event may trigger one to rise to a leadership position, bringing an
extraordinary leadership quality in a unexpected potential leader. This is known as function
theory
- Individuals choose to be leaders, and people can train to be leaders. This method is known as
transformational process leadership it is the most popular theory, used to date
Total leadership
People need to have confidence in their leaders; they want a leader who knows where he is
taking them and the direction to go. They want a leader who is controlling and give leadership
with a clear sense of course. A leader must be ethical so as to gain and earn respect from his
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