“Leadership is the art of achieving more than the science of management says is possible.”
— Colin Powell
“Manager” and “Leader” are words that are often used but rarely defined. At least, defined in a way that’s useful. Understanding the difference between them can help you know when to manage, and when to lead.
Here’s a simple definition from management guru Tom Peters:
“Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing.”
There are certainly times when you need to manage: ensuring processes and practices are being followed properly, ensuring that known success paths are followed, etc. But in an ever-changing business environment, managing isn’t enough. You also have to lead.
A leader is one who thinks about the future more than the present, the “could be” more than the “is”. Leaders define where the organization will go and engage people in achieving that desired future.
Anyone with management responsibilities needs to both manage and lead; the higher you are in an organization, the more you must tilt your activities toward leadership.
You manage when you need things to happen in a well-defined way. You lead when you need to make changes. Despite the common parlance, I don’t believe you can “manage” change. You can create it, you can leverage it, you can react to it. But you can’t manage it.
How do you know if you are managing or leading? Here’s a quick reference (with thanks to leadership genius Tom Haller):
The key is to be intentional about Managing and Leading. And when in doubt, choose to Lead.
“Inventories can be managed, but people must be led.”
—H. Ross Perot
