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Leading or managing - which one is it?

Leading and managing are they different or are they just one and the same thing?
Both concepts have been around for Centuries, in Government, in the Military, in Education, in Sports clubs and in business organisations. It has become increasingly apparent and fashionable in recent years to talk about Leadership, its types and characteristics and its importance for the growth, survival and effectiveness of businesses throughout the world. So much so that most Management development programmes have sessions about leadership within them or they have been taken over by leadership as the main or only topic area to be discussed and developed. There is a whole industry based on developing the leadership skills of our management talent with well known writers such as Warren Bennis, Anthony Robbins, John Adair, Stephen Covey, Kouzes and Possner expounding their views on its relevance and importance to improvements in organisational performance.
So what do I think about this focus - is it really important or is it just a fad?
My views are these.
Yes there is a difference between leadership and management that is significant for individuals and which becomes increasingly important based around the size and complexity of your role, the people that you have the responsibility to manage and to lead and the nature and marketplace maturity of the business that you operate in. The activities expected of a leader are and therefore the skills, techniques and approaches required are somewhat different from those required of a manager. For example the focus of a manager is often more short term, operational, controlling, detailed, reactive and action orientated than that of a leader. A leader's focus is often on a wider scale, more long term, strategic, thoughtful, proactive and inspirational than that required of a manager.
But they both blend into one within the individual leader/manager and their role. It is a question of emphasis and balance. A manager lower down in an organisation who spends all of their time om leadership activities but who does not monitor, control, inspect and react may be very inneffective. Alternatively a leader who spends most of their time managing and not thinking about the bigger picture, the future strategy and how to lead and inspire their people has got the balance wrong in the other direction.
Some people are more suited and effective as managers rather than leaders and it is important for organisations to recognise this and to choose and develop their people in the right direction.
If you would like more information about how to strike the right balance with your leaders and managers then please contact us.