‘LEADERSHIP AND MANAGERIAL SKILLS ARE NOT THE SAME’

“Leaders do the right things; managers do them rightly,” – is the famous quote by Warren Bennis, one of the pioneers of contemporary leadership studies. This quote is not mere jugglery of words but it clearly demarcates the role and responsibility of a leader from that of a manager. This distinction is important in business sector as well as other aspects of a professional life. It’s a distinction that speaks volumes to those who seek to both manage and lead in an organization. Management is all about assessing the strength and weaknesses of people and assigning them adequate tasks to reach the optimum output (efficiency) where as leadership involves defining the set of actions needed to finish off those tasks and provides the drive, creates the energy to remain focused (effectiveness).

Leaders do right things-

                                ‘Doing the right things for organisational growth’ has got different connotations. It has to be weighed in terms of its relevance to the organisational mission, its strategic importance, ensuring effectivity in achieving goals and attached ethical value to the decision. Setting the right kind of goals for organisational growth is an important attribute of a successful leader. It is of importance to set realistic, achievable goals which fit in with the overall mission of an organisation, keeping in mind the external constraints such as political, economical, financial restrictions and certain inherent internal constraints of an organisation. Doing the right thing and doing things rightly, has an ethical connotation as well. In some situations, for a leader doing the right thing does not involve taking a decision only, but also has to decide about its correct modality. For example, few times a leader is in an ethical dilemma about a decision to recall a particular product, but he has to also decide about how to execute it rapidly and thoroughly and in a way that doesn’t demoralize his employees. The leader has to keep in mind that business without ethics is a sin.

Managers do the things rightly–

Management is about getting things done. It focuses on efficiency i.e. completion of task with minimal wastage of resources. According to Peter Drucker, management follows leadership. In reality, management is about human beings. It is a critical, determining factor for an organization which teaches people to perform with cooperation, capitalize on their strengths and ignore their weaknesses. Management is rooted in culture since it involves bringing people closer in a common venture. Managers who understand these principles and adopt them in their course of action will develop into achieving managers. Peter Drucker initially believed that there has to be one well defined way to manage people. But the work of Abraham H. Maslow had given enormous evidences about how different people could be managed in different ways. Hence, management is an art as well as science.

It has been quite a fascinating debate as to whether leadership and management can co-exist and if yes, which of the two is more important. For an organization to succeed, it is vital that they find a right balance between the two institutions, i.e leadership and management. This is because only if both these functions are effectively performed, a business can operate in this competitive environment. Both are important jobs. While one gives the corporation a sense of purpose, the other provides it with the push in the right direction. Thus, Peter Drucker has accurately pointed out the differences between the two and has given the professionals an insight into the fundamentals of an effective leadership and an efficient management system, which when coupled can lead a business to new heights of prosperity.

(The author of this article, Lt Col (Dr) Satish Dhage, is an ex Army officer and has been qualified for IPS (Indian Police Services) through IPS LCE 2012. Presently, he is Director, MGM Institute of Competitive Exams Aurangabad. For any queries or feedback, he can be contacted on email id : drsatishdhage@gmail.com)