Difference between Leaders and Managers

Leaders and managers are two vital peoples in the organization; despite complimenting each other with some similarities, the two individuals also have distinct differences. Some scholars argue that many managers are not leaders despite being successful (Wajdi, 2017). A leader leads from the front while a manager follows orders when controlling, staffing, organizing, and planning to improve organizational efficiency. Managers make the employees work, and leaders work together with the subordinates to meet objectives. 

The Characteristic Differences 

Leaders lead from the front; they use an involving language when working with people. The technique makes their followers voluntarily follow their leaders' instructions because they also share common interests. Also, leaders value their employees and often motivate and inspire them to work smartly. Contrastingly, managers believe in coordinating and planning the activities by apply managerial techniques to influence their employees (Solomon et al., 2016). They command obedience from their workers by their positions. As a result, many subordinates may involuntarily follow the manager's commands to save their job. 

Their working styles also make another difference. Leaders attract followers with their charismatic traits. They have higher knowledge than their followers and frequently innovate to improve the functions of the organization. However, managers keep the firm's priorities at their best and use employees to achieve those priorities. Managers apply modern management tools to direct, organize and plan the work, and they administer rather than innovating. 

Additionally, leaders set their vision, and their people accept the concept freely (Stein, 2016). They do not force their followers when executing and directing the ideas. At the same time, managers lead employees to achieve the already established organizational ideas. 

Moreover, a Leader is more emotionally intelligent compared to an ordinary manager. Leaders highly understand and control their emotions and their followers (Miao et al., 2016). In case of poor performance from staff, a leader will think to determine the low-performance reasons. On the other hand, a manager may not be concerned with the employee's emotions. They use their control power to ensure that duties are perfumed as per the schedule and take corrective action when dealing with a poorly performing employee. Furthermore, leaders make quality decisions because they team up with their workers to derive a better decision. in contrast, managers make learned decisions by using what is suitable for the organization without considering the employees' opinions. 

Similarities Between Leaders and Managers 

Despite the differences, there exist some similarities between a leader and a manager. They both work with people to achieve organizational objectives. They also establish the foundation of the company and various functional structures. Additionally, managers and leaders influence the work structure and environment. They are all concerned with the objective achievement despite having different goals (Yang, 2016). 

Moreover, they are highly concerned about efficiently allocating the available resources to improve the firm's effectiveness. Both the leader and manager are accountable for results, and they use metrics to measure employees' performance. Lastly, they rely on effective communication to get things done. 

Example of a Person with Great Managerial Skills of the company 

The organization manager where I had my first internship program displayed excellent managerial skills and his attributes contributed to the fulfillment of organizational activities. The manager performed his duties efficiently and kept the company away from a crisis by promptly applying problem-solving skills to deal with any challenge. The boss had excellent communication skills that he uses to manage his relationship with co-workers and subordinates. He was able to propel the organizational vision and missions forward with fewer hurdles and objections from both internal and external sources. 

His various managerial skills, including technical, conceptual, and interpersonal skills, enabled him to understand human potential and different motivational methods. Besides, he was a good planner and decision-makers; he formulated policies useful in making precise and right decisions. The boss was also accountable for every decision he made and willingly took responsibility for the results. Additionally, the manager was a good delegator, and he could effectively assign work-related tasks and authorities to other subordinates. 

Due to excellent skills, the staff got positive empowerment, and they could produce higher output. The team could also perform better in their leadership roles because of the delegation opportunity (Yang, 2016). Labor turnover was low because of the job security advantage created in the organization. 

Example of an Individual with Great Leadership Skills 

The hospital administrator in my current workplace is an individual with excellent leadership skills. He has emotional and behavioral characteristics that have helped him to succeed in hospital leadership. The administrator is a visionary person with exciting ideas. He is also forward-looking and has excellent strategic planning skills that have helped the facility attain its fundamental objectives. Additionally, the boss has good communication skills that him to communicate the ideas concisely and enhancing teamwork between staff in the organization. His Integrity level is also high, and all the staff appreciates his honesty because he always tells the truth in every situation. 

Moreover, the leader is creative and confident, and he often takes risks that the achievement of the facility’s goals. He has also created strong bonds and built an effective team because of the empathy skill. The charismatic trait that he possesses has helped him to influence all the employees within the hospital. Due to his outstanding skills, the hospital staff have become very cooperative and voluntarily follow his orders (Fang et al., 2019). The performance of the workers has been recommendable, and this has made the hospital hold a good reputation in the community. 

Example of an Individual with Poor Managerial Skill 

The chief nurse at the clinic where I first became posted after my graduation displayed poor managerial skills in his work. He had poor communication skills, which affected fellow nurses negatively because it resulted in frequent confusion and collision. He did not organize the workers well, which led to a hostile working environment because he decided on inconsistent policies. Moreover, he lacked vision and could formulate poor decisions that did not contribute positively to the facility. His was toxic ad diminished the staff morale. 

Additionally, his interpersonal skills were low, and teamwork was not present at the facility. As a result, the clinic became affected negatively because staff absenteeism increased. His poor displacement of critical thinking led to a decrease in innovation and problem-solving skills within the department. Besides, he refused to consider the ideas of the other nurses, and strongly held on his opinion despite causing poor results. His poor management affected the department because many nurses resigned from the clinic. The staff who remained suffered unnecessary job stress that contributed to poor performance. 

Emotional intelligence Test Results 

The outcome of my emotional test was great; I scored nine in the Self-Awareness section. The result indicated that I could understand my emotional self-awareness by recognizing emotion's impact on my performance (GLF, 2004). Also, I can give accurate self-assessment by providing a realistic evaluation of my strengths and limitations. I have power in working with groups and colleagues but also too cautious about making the right decision. The self-confidence result indicated that I have a sense of self-worth because I make decisions based on my goals and visions. 

The self-management total score was ten. The results illustrate that I have excellent self-control that enables me to suppress disturbing emotions and impulses. Secondly, I am a transparent person because of the ability to maintain good honesty and integrity in managing myself. Subsequently, the results showed that I am responsible and adaptable to changing situations. The flexibility helps me overcome obstacles that I may encounter. Moreover, I am achievement-oriented due to the guiding drive that propels me to meet an internal standard of excellence in everything that I do. Lastly, I am always ready to seize opportunities and actions that come along 

In the social-awareness section, I scored nine, which illustrated that I have empathy. I can understand the needs of others and value their interests and concern. I can also recognize organizational awareness by reading the current corporate life. It helps in creating decision networks and navigate politics. Lastly, I am a service and success-oriented person who can recognize and meet customers' needs. 

Notably, I scored ten in the Relationship Management section. The results proved that I have creative leadership skill, that is essential in inspiring and guiding groups. Secondly, I like to help other people by creating an environment that strengthens their abilities through support and guidance (GLF, 2004). Moreover, I am influential because I can exercise a wide range of persuasive strategies with integrity. The compelling trait enables me to listen and send clear, convincing, and well-tuned messages to the team members. Besides, I am a change catalyst since I can initiate unique ideas and lead individuals in a better direction. Subsequently, I can effectively manage conflict by solving differences through effective resolution techniques. Furthermore, I can establish strong bonds with other people. The strength is essential in maintaining teamwork that promotes cooperation within the organization. 

In light of the results, I am a good leader; I am visionary and empathetic. I am also charismatic because I can influence other people positively. I also make a good leader because of my innovative skill that inspires me to formulate new ideas. Besides, I can control my emotions to ensure that they don't disrupt my leadership role. 

References 

Fang, Y. C., Chen, J. Y., Wang, M. J., & Chen, C. Y. (2019). The impact of inclusive leadership on employees" innovative behavior: the mediation of psychological capital. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1803. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01803 

GLF. (2004). The Global El Test Results. Global Leadership Foundation. https://globalleadershipfoundation.com/cgi-bin/eiscore.pl 

Miao, C., Humphrey, R. H., & Qian, S. (2016). Leaders emotional intelligence and subordinate job satisfaction: A meta-analysis of a main, mediator, and moderator effect. Personality and Individual Differences , 102, 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.06.056 

Solomon, I. G., Costea, C., & Nita, A. M. (2016). LEADERSHIP VERSUS MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS. Economics, Management & Financial Markets, 11(1) 

Stein, L. (2016). School Need Leaders-Not Managers: It's Time for a Paradigm Shift. Journal of Leadership Education, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.12806/V15/12/13 

Wajdi, N. B., (2017). The Difference Between Management and Leadership. Jurnal llmiah llmu Manajemen. https://doi.org/10.25139/sng.v7i1.31 

Yang, R. (2016). Examining the Distinct Concepts of "Leadership" and "Management" and the Relationship between Them. In 4 th International Conference of Management Science, Education Technology, Arts, Social Science and Economics 2016. Atlantis Press . https://doi.org/10.2991/msetasse-16.2016.249