Leadership and management are two important elements of an organization. They are also often used interchangeably. However, leadership and management have several differences which makes essential attributes individually. A manager is someone with the responsibility of supervising a team and a process. Managers across organizations are expected to display leadership behaviour in order to excel in their work. They are even sponsored by their organizations to participate in development courses on topics like leadership development or strategic performance management. Such courses help them enable their teams, align them to the goals of the organization and perform at their level best.
Key Characteristics of a Manager
A manager in an organization is a person who is focused on managing a team of people and their job activities. There can be a wide range of variance in the scope of his duty across organizations. Some managers manage extremely large teams with every team member managing his own team. Others manage a small team with a focused scope of work.
A manager’s job is to ensure that the work is done. He needs to focus on daily routine tasks and manage the activities of the members of his team according to the job at hand. It is more of a tactical role and has more of a controlling and authoritative approach to it.
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Key Characteristics of a Leader
Leadership is a desirable trait in a person who can be taught to him. Leaders are emotionally intelligent beings who are great at communication. They are able to develop trust in others for them. They make others believe them and show virtues like integrity and honesty. Because of the above traits, they are not only able to make people work according to their directions but also inspire them to go the extra mile.
Leaders inspire and motivate their followers. Instead of driving the employees to finish a task, leaders motivate them to drive themselves. They lead by example and their team members look up to them for both inspiration as well as comfort. There is a healthy communication flow between a leader and his team, which leads to coordinated efficiency in work.
Both management and leadership are important to an organization. Management is about doing things right, while leadership is all about doing the right things. While there are plenty of managers, true leaders are not so common and hence a prized asset for an organization. If you wish to gain these skills and become an indispensable resource to your organization, you can enrol into a business management course online or short-term leadership courses offered by leading education brands and institutes.
Leadership can be defined as the ability of an individual to guide and inspire an individual or a group of individuals. Leaders motivate others to do perform better and give their best to a task. It is an intangible skill some people are born with, while others can learn to acquire leadership skills. Today, organizations have realised that good leadership allows them to achieve better results. Because of the stress laid upon leadership skills in management, many HR management courses also include it in their syllabus.
Modern organizations believe that employees cannot be just forced to perform their tasks. They need to thrive in the organization and that requires them to be passionate about their work and take responsibility for it. In order to do so, they need to be motivated well. The modern-day manager therefore has a task cut out for him. He is not just a manager with the primary responsibility to delegate responsibilities and ensure that the team meets all the deadlines. Today, he is also required to have good leadership skills so that he is able to guide his team and be a source of inspiration for them when they are chasing tough deadlines or have difficulty in performing a task well. This alone fact is promoting many leaders to upscale their skills by enrolling into online leadership courses.
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Difference Between a Leader and a Manager
A manager can simply pass down orders and give directions to people. He demands compliance from people and expects them to meet their targets. A leader also ensures that the team reaches targets on time and complies to regulations and requirements. However, his job is not limited to getting the team to achieve their goals. He guides his team through rough times and inspires them to set higher targets. He inspires them to do their best work in their routine jobs as well.
Impact of Leadership on the Organization
Leadership positively impacts the business and the environment at the work floors. Good leadership reflects through several elements within the organization. Some of them are listed below –
Good leadership improves employee retention
Inspiring leaders build trust and loyalty in the team. Because they know how to motivate their team and share a good rapport with them, their team members are comfortable working with them. This comfort with their manager makes them stay longer in their jobs. This leads to increased employee satisfaction. Employees who get heard and get opportunities to grow do not leave the organization. Thus, the organization benefits from a good leadership in the form of a high rate of employee retention.
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Good leadership leads to revenue enhancement
Leaders improve their team’s performance and push the team members to outperform themselves. In this way, they help their organization achieve success faster. This may lead to an increase in revenue generated.
Good leadership explores avenues of innovation
One of the highlights of a good leader is his capacity to motivate his team and make them feel like leaders in their own right. He encourages them to take ownership of their job tasks and helps them open up their minds to new possibilities. This leads to an environment where people are enthusiastic about their work and look forward to doing new things. This is a culture where innovation thrives because the team knows that their good ideas will be heard.
Good leadership looks for and develops leadership of the future
A manager’s task is to ensure that all the current tasks are performed according to an organization’s strategic needs and objectives. He has to manage the team that he has in a fruitful manner and meet the deadlines. He has to control his team members’ actions when needed. In reality, managers work with a short-term view. Leaders on the other hand, have a long-term view of any situation. So, when they manage their teams, they keep note of their team’s inherent abilities. They nurture their teams accordingly and give them tasks that help them shine through their abilities. They train the team members and to hone them for the future. For those who exhibit leadership skills, a good leader identifies and guides them to become the organization’s leadership of the future.
An appropriate leadership style can impact an organization’s performance in a positive manner. It can strengthen the existing skills of its workforce and look for newer avenues of growth. It is also necessary to note that a good leader also exhibits a variety of leadership styles at display. This variation is critical as organizational needs vary often. A good leader can be dictatorial when he has to push his team to achieve specific numbers and he can provide a shoulder to lean on when a team member is in need of emotional support. A good leader knows the skills and shortcomings of his team in and out.
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