1. Leadership vs. Management
Robert (Ben) Stewart
In today's complex business environment, leadership is an essential skill that is frequently
analyzed, scrutinized, and studied. There are a variety of styles and opinions on the topic, most
of which have been successful in one form or fashion over the years. It must be noted however,
that there has consistently been a misunderstanding between that of leadership and management.
There is a strong overlap between the two as both are crucial to remain competitive and relevant
within their respective industry, but there are distinct differences separate them.
Traditional leadership was previously described as "a role rather than a set of behaviors"
and it emphasized power from one's position rather than focusing on relationships. [1] This
understanding of leadership is outdated and is rooted in static industries that focused on a
processes instead of outcomes. The new prospective on leadership recognizes its dynamic nature
and focuses on influencing others through relationships, trust, and values.
Management on the other hand, is focused on doing the process efficiently and
responsibly. While a leader "does the right thing, a manager does things right." [2] Attention to
detail is key and a strong emphasis on analytical skills will be essential to succeed. Another
distinction is that leaders seek to attract high performers to their organization, while it is the role
of a managers to increase the performance of those employees.
Leadership and management can be analyzed from three perspectives: the person,
position, and process. [3] The reason for much of the confusion between leadership and
management is because they frequently overlap with each other. It is common for leaders to
serve as a manager of people and even have the name "manager" within their title. On the other
hand, it is rare for a person to have the name "leader" in their title, but employees know the

2. people in position that lead their organization. Leadership is palpable and authenticity is key.
False leadership is easy to identify as "followers" are not inspired or motivated to do their best.
The Person: Leadership vs. Management
A recent study found that traits most admired by leaders were honesty, forward-looking,
inspiring, and competent. [2] When analyzing and combining these traits, one finds that the
genuine leader seeks to challenge others through competent inspiration in a way that seeks to
move their cause or mission forward. There is a misconception that all leaders must embrace a
gregarious and charismatic personality. These personality traits certainly can be useful to
empower and influence people's actions, but they must be natural gifts to an individual that are
perceived as authentic.
Surprisingly, introversion has been found to be a useful trait of a leader. [3]. Just because
someone has a predisposition to remain quiet does not mean that they cannot inspire others to
actions. In fact, this personality trait might give people a greater reason to listen. If someone is
constantly voicing their opinion, people might be inclined to tune out their thoughts. However if
someone is relatively quiet and speaks with wisdom, then people can be more willing to consider
their thoughts.
The person who is a manager is focused on tasks and ensuring that the correct process is
followed. Their line of thinking remains "inside" the box as they take their instructions from
another leader or manager. Instead of problem solving, a manager's mindset is focused on
accepting the problems and restrictions of their current reality and maximizing their output.
Attention to detail is key for this position because the devil is in the details. If someone is to
manage effectively, then they must be familiar with every aspect of their responsibility.
The Position: Leadership vs. Management

3. Leaders are often in a position as a manager of people, but the differences in their
mindset distinguishes them from managers. Technology and advances within the world today
have increased efficiency with which work can be done, but also given competitors the same
advantages. It has been found that how people and actions interact within a complex system are
often more important that individuals or actions themselves. [4] How leaders and managers
handle the system and problems with which they are in can be vastly different.
The thinking and actions of leaders is always on the big picture of their organization.
They are not focused on each individual action, but rather on weighing the overall inputs verses
outputs. As they take a deeper look within the organization, they will study individual
interactions within the broader work, but will always as it relates to their overall goal. Increasing
individual efficiency is important, but leaders weigh these decisions in terms of the entire
organization.
Leaders use their position to seek 4 general improvements within their environments:
direction pointing, boundaries, resources, and permission. [4] Direction pointing and boundaries
assists them to balance the confines and limitations of where they currently are and move to the
place where they want to go. Empowerment of followers is crucial at this stage. Resources and
permission are both used to actually reach a desired goal. The former can be manpower,
financial or any other thing to add improvements. Permission comes from both the followers and
others that have a vested interested in the goal. This trait is rooted in trust and must be given
instead of the leader taking it.
Managers use their position to wisely supervise what is under their responsibility. While
they take initiative to monitor actions and provide instructions, they live within the constraints of
their title. Their focus is on their team or responsibility and rarely look to the overall goal of the

4. organization. They believe that the best way to contribute to the overall health of the
organization is to make maximize the efficiency of their people or task.
The Process: Leadership vs. Management
Conflict is seen as a negative from the managers mindset. [1] They believe that these
interactions will inhibit their production and ultimately hurt the organization. Harmony is ideal
for a manager because it means that followers are working in a pleasant and enjoyable
environment. This situation will be ideal to help shape actions to improve efficiency and to
follow the right procedure.
Leaders on the other hand, can embrace conflict and view it as constructive criticism.
They believe that these interactions help refine the organization into a stronger body and
reassures of its mission. Diversity is a trait that leaders can embrace that has the potential to
bring conflict as a variety of philosophies will clash. Within healthcare for example, women
make up 74% of the workforce, yet comprise only 18% of hospital CEOs. [5] It is no secret that
men have primarily been the leaders throughout almost every industry, but cultural unawareness
is no excuse to ignore diversity.
The bold leader will embrace diversity and conflict in the right balance. Too
much of it and grid lock remains a strong possibility while too little of it can bring devastating
groupthink. Finding the right mix of these traits is both art and science. It is also a journey and
never a destination. Once leaders move to a feeling of safety and security is when they should
start to feel insecure.
Leaders must pursue the process of living within a potential reality and not their current
reality. Complexities and emerging technology create a dynamic world in which early
adaptation of change can shift the competitive landscape. However promoting and inspiring the

5. wrong plan can lead people in a fatal direction. Dynamic leaders must think of how things could
be, not how things are currently.
The importance of managers roles should not be overlooked. Most everyone must live in
the current reality and seek to maximize their input while also prepared to alter their actions.
Managers ensure that resources are maximized and used efficiently. They are also the ones who
will take new instructions from leaders and make their vision a reality. Without managers,
leaders would be lost and have no one to lead.
Cititations
1. Weberg, D. (2012), Complexity Leadership: A Healthcare Imperative. Nursing Forum, 47:
268–277. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6198.2012.00276.x
2. Nahata, Milap. Fall 2001. Balancing Leadership and Management. American Journal of
Pharmaceutical Education; Fall 2001; 65,3; ProQuest pg 295.
3. DaCosta J. Leadeership models for healthcare improvements. British Journal of Healthcare
Management [serial online]. November 2012; 18(11):575-580. Available from CINAHL Plus
with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed January 15, 2015.
4. Plsek PE, Wilson T. Complexity, leadership, and management in healthcare organizations.
BMJ : British Medical Journal 2001;323(7315):746-749.
5. Hauser, Martha C. 2014. Leveraging women's leadership talent in healthcare. Journal of
Healthcare Management 59, (5) (Sep): 318-322,
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1566916048?accountid=11243 (accessed January 15, 2015).