Servant Leadership Workplace-Manager Leader

Manager or Leader? Or Both?

Would you rather be a manager or leader?

Or both?

Sometimes, when discussing leadership – especially servant leadership – I notice that people treat management as if it were inferior to leadership.

Every now and then, people even suggest that a manager is the opposite of a leader.

But I think it’s unwise to draw too sharp a distinction between manager and leader. Moreover, I don’t like it when managers are considered subordinate to leaders.

Here’s the basis for my thinking.

After acknowledging the multitude of ways in which leadership has been conceptualized and defined, Professor Peter Northouse* defines leadership this way:

“Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.”

Northouse goes on to compare how managers are concerned with order and consistency by focusing on, among other things, planning and budgeting; organizing and staffing; and controlling and problem solving.

Leaders, by contrast, are concerned with change and movement. They focus on establishing direction, aligning people, motivating and inspiring.

“Although there are clear differences between management and leadership,” Northouse concludes, “the constructs overlap. When managers are involved in influencing a group to meet its goals, they are involved in leadership. When leaders are involved in planning, organizing, staffing and controlling, they are involved in management.”

That’s what I conclude, too.

One can be a manager, a leader or both.

Sometimes the two roles are divided among individuals and sometimes the roles are combined in single individuals. In either case, great organizations inevitably need both – great management and great leadership.

Indeed, some of the best servant-leaders I have known were managers – in some cases, I am thankful to say, my managers! These folks were concerned with change and movement and, at the same time, provided the order and consistency that our teams needed to produce results.

And by the way, in my experience being a great manager can be every bit as difficult as being a great leader. Both functions require special knowledge, skills and experience to be performed well.

What do you think? Would you rather be a manager or a leader? Or both? Do you agree that the management and leadership functions can overlap? Would you define management and leadership differently? Have you had a great manager in your life who was also a great leader?

Let us know.

As always, we appreciate your views. Thanks!

Joe

And download our latest ebook, Servant Leadership in the Workplace: A Brief Introduction. It’s free!

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*Professor Northouse is author of the outstanding textbook, Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed., 2015), which is quoted here.