Any organisation needs successful management and leadership at the top level for its sustenance and longevity. Therefore, the role of leaders and managers is vital for maintaining a certain degree of decorum, long-term action plans, and the parameters for achieving objectives set up by the corporation. These individuals need to work in cohesion and deploy tools, techniques and methodologies that help in maximising profits, optimising employee’s work output and take their organisations to newer heights. With the assistance of C-level executives and other seniors, the tasks, roles and responsibilities of their team members need to be communicated appropriately.
Successful leadership and managerial model allow developing a two-way relationship between employees and their leaders/managers. This is essential for fostering loyalty, trust and value amongst organisational workers. Enrolling for courses that further teach about leadership and management is necessary for young managers and leaders. The credible leadership courses online inculcate the basic elements that young leaders require for succeeding in their job roles. Moreover, the advanced online strategic management program from IIM helps fine-tun learners’ knowledge of these fields. However, prior to undertaking these programs, budding managers and leaders need to understand the differences between the two.
Differences Between Strategic Management and Leadership
The role of leadership and management is like craftsmanship that requires creativity, deploying novel solutions for problems and bringing out the best within employees and team members. Strategic management has found its feet in international business negotiations, channelling organisational procedures and provides a pathway for fostering active communication between top-level executives and corporational workers. Strategic management is done on a more personal level, and managers aim to deliver positive and definitive results from their employees.
Strategic leadership is more inclined towards inspiring and motivating workers for achieving corporational objectives. Leaders envision ideas with strategic application and deploy the same in the organisational structure. Strategic leaders are serious about their vision and ideas and therefore transform the existing workflows, processes and corporational setups. Strategic leaders are ideated towards developing appropriate strategies and business plans for further application by managers.
A plethora of leadership courses online possesses knowledgeable modules and practical sessions that allow young leaders to grasp the tools and techniques that comprise this domain. Moreover, the advanced online strategic management program from IIM gives a clear view of managerial operations. Both these courses are essential for understanding the differences between leaders and managers.
The differences are as follows:-
- Difference based on Skill-Sets
- Strategic Management
Strategic managers are individuals that are result-oriented and focus on maximising profits for their organisations. Managers need to possess terrific planning and organisation skills for managing and overcoming challenges that lie ahead. Managers need to take human capital, resources, ideas and other attributes to develop successful managerial policies.
Another critical skill-set that managers must have is understanding problems and developing solutions through their critical and logical reasoning. It comes in handy while providing out of box solutions for mundane issues. Logic-based thinking patterns allow direction to the organisational tasks and helps in meeting objectives set up by the firms.
- Strategic Leadership
Strategic leadership is a more of a people-centric role that requires everyone to be on the same track- managers, employees, stakeholders, and other associates to work in unison to achieve the leaders’ visions and ideas. Strategic leadership looks at the big picture and thus deploys policies that reap dividends in the future. Leaders are the benefactors that challenge contrasting viewpoints, conduct cost and benefit analysis and then make decisions.
Leaders are pretty similar to sports captains that anticipate challenges that lie ahead. Anticipation of what lies ahead makes the role of leadership quintessential for carrying out successful business operations. Lastly, interpretation and communication allow leaders to develop a transparent relationship with their subordinates and take everyone together to achieve a common shared objective.
- Difference based on Principles
- Strategic Management
The principles that constitute strategic management includes flexibility in approaches, communication, planning and analysis. The liquidity in managerial approaches helps businesses to accommodate changes during any stage of policy development. With active communication across the hierarchical chains, all the associates of the corporation come together for brainstorming ideas and taking the organisation forward.
These principles influence the outcome of strategies and help in aligning both corporational and managerial objectives. Strategic management defines principles that enable managing people, utilities, business plans and other attributes that combine the organisational stratosphere.
- Strategic Leadership
Strategic leadership looks over the holistic processes, future goals and deploys roles and responsibilities accordingly. The significant principles of strategic leadership include- delegation of tasks, innovation, developing a plan that makes it safe to fail, facilitating collaboration, relying on self-reflection and others. Leaders are entrusted with the job of leading the organisations and attracting profitable prospects.
The proper distribution of tasks helps define the responsibilities of each individual. The presence of an alternative plan allows employees to work with less pressure and stress if the major plan tends to fail.
- Differences based on Objectives
- Strategic Management
Strategic management’s objectives include creating well-defined and comprehensible pathways for managing corporations, unifying policies and staff towards performing their tasks. Moreover, the practice of strategic management enlists the processes that help get optimum results from their employees.
- Strategic Leadership
The objectives of strategic leadership include- canvassing leadership policies that are future-ideated and assists organisation in staying relevant in the upcoming years, developing strategies that combine leader’s mission and vision for long-term success and boosting employee’s morale through appreciation and recognition.
As seen from the differences mentioned above, strategic leadership and management work differently and have their own objectives. Upcoming leaders and managers need to understand these and work towards taking their firms to newer heights.
Summing it Up!
As contrasting as leadership and managerial roles look from the top level, an integration between the two is one of the most practical and successful ways for meeting objectives and getting the work done. The abundance of leadership courses online helps new professionals perform their duties to the best of their abilities. With the availability of an advanced online strategic management program from IIM, budding managers can grip the trends that conform to these domains.
More Information:
How Do You Become a Better Leader?
XLRI JAMSHEDPUR Cxo programme in driving growth
Top Leadership Skills You Need To Learn To Lead Your Team
Develop your Leadership & Management Skills with a range of Online Management Courses
