Managing vs. Leading. I’ve heard many things and read many articles about being a manager versus being a leader. At the same time there have been many articles and seminars on what I’ll call the components of a manager and the components of a leader.

Being a leader. Is it the same as being a manager? Is being a good manager the same as being a good leader?  What does coaching and the ability to coach mean when it comes to being a good manager? When it comes to being a good leader? What does guiding have to do with leadership? With managing With directing? A manager has to know how to plan, organize, direct and control but a leader may not know how to plan, organize,  direct and control. Yet they are still a leader!

Managing vs. Leading vs. Directing vs. Guiding vs. Coaching vs. Supervising

What are some of the differences in the above? The meanings for many of them have some overlap, but they are still words with distinct meaning. Here are some definitions for each (according to WordNet):

Directing — showing the way by conducting or leading; imposing direction on. “felt his mother’s directing arm around him”; “the directional role of science on industrial progress”

Guiding —  direct the course; determine the direction of travelling; exerting control or influence; “a guiding principle”

Coaching — to teach and supervise (someone). The first use of the term coaching to mean an instructor or trainer arose around 1830 in Oxford University slang for a tutor who “carries” a student through an exam.

Supervising — managing by overseeing the performance or operation of a person or group; under observation or under the direction of a superintendent or overseer; “supervised play”.

Managing — (in management) the act of getting people together in order to accomplish desired goals and objectives.

Leading — (in management) the  process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.

It’s easy to see from above that all the words really have a part in working successfully with a group. Sooner or later, every member of the group will personally be involved in performing one of the above. (In the scope of this post, I’m keeping a distinct separation between “Management” and “Managing”. Why? Because, leadership / leading is an intricate part of management. But it is not the same as managing.)

One saying  I often hear is:

“Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing.”

This saying may be a little too blatant for my tastes, but it does shed a little light on the views of each type of position. It means that managers do things by the book and follow company policy, while leaders follow their own intuition, which may be more advantageous to the company. Managers use authoritarian and transactional style, which means subordinates have to follow a manager’s  orders while leaders use charismatic and transformational style, which means followers are inspired to follow their leader’s wishes.

Unlike with managers, people follow a leader on their own choice but people have to obey a manager.  In a way, a leader’s authority is derived from effectively balancing the task of being a genuinely accepted member of a group, while having adequate detachment to constantly adjust the course the group is heading. Groups are also usually more loyal to a leader than a manager because the leader is responsible in taking the blame when things go wrong. When things go right, the leader is often last person to accept any recognition for it. He/she often will recognize and thank the group for the success.

In the motivation department, a leader will often use passions and incite emotions to motivate people.  A manager on the other hand will not often use the language of emotions or passions but more often use logical and official methods to motivate people to complete a task. This is why leaders can be seen to be more emotional than a manager.

Risk

“Leaders stand out by being different. They question assumption and are suspicious of tradition. They seek out the truth and make decisions based on fact, not prejudice. They have a preference for innovation.” — John Fenton

Leaders will often appear to be risk-seeking while managers may often appear to be more risk-averse. Therefore, managers look for comfort and seek to avoid conflict where possible while leaders are comfortable with risk by finding ways others avoid and willing to break rules (within reason) in order to get things done.

Leadership. It’s really about coaching, guiding, and inspiring others to reach a goal. Sometimes a leader will stand in front, sometimes to the side, sometimes even behind the people he or she is trying to help reach a goal.

Even if we don’t formally have anyone reporting to us within an organization, we are still leaders because everyone in one form or another has the ability to influence others. So Where Do You Fit In? Manager or Leader? How do you see yourself? The decision one makes about that will determine where they go in an organization (and most likely the way they are seen as well).

Here are Some Great Books that I Highly Recommend on the Above!

If you have any comments on any of the above, or if you have additional thoughts to add, please feel free to share them with us in the comment section below.

Thanks and Take Care!

Gil

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The internet is inundated with websites that discuss leadership ideas, nuggets, secrets and the like. Many require you to register or pay for a consultation. The sites below are free and are some of my favorites when it comes to leadership ideas and tips:

1. BillGeorge.com – website of Bill George, Harvard Business School Professor of Management Practice, former Medtronic CEO, and Best-Selling author of the book “True North”. Also, you’ll want to check out Bill’s Blog on this site as well.
2. Center for Leader Development – this organization’s purpose is to provide individuals who have a passion for leadership development a home.
3. Coaching Tip: The Leadership Blog — blog of John G. Agno who coaches executives and business owners on how to build their leadership capability.
4. DanielGoldman’s Blog – site of bestselling author for the book “Emotional Intelligence”. Here are many of his articles on the subject of emotional intelligence (EQ) and its importance in leadership.
5. Dialog on Leadership – An online leadership forum sponsored by the Society of Organizational Learning and McKinsey and Company. Contains interviews with leadership thought leaders and papers on the subject of “new ways of leadership for today’s world”.
6. EmergingLeader.com — a user driven site which serves both as a sounding board for fresh leadership ideas and a repository for lessons learned and experience gained.
7. FastCompany.com — Fast Company sets the agenda, charting the evolution of business through a unique focus on the most creative individuals sparking change in the marketplace. By uncovering best and “next” practices, the magazine and website helps a new breed of leader work smarter and more effectively. Their 30 Second MBA video page has many leadership nuggets that you’ll want to check out.
8. Frontline Leadership TRENDS — This blog is devoted to leadership tips, lessons and ideas that anyone can use to engage a group of people by involving their hearts and minds through daily activities.
9. Global Web Forum of Leader — Online forum of the group Leader. Contains an assortment of Leadership, Management and Business News articles and posts.
10. GovLeaders.org — a free on-line resource designed to help government managers cultivate a more effective and motivated public sector workforce.
11. Great Leadership – opinions and information of leadership and leadership development by Dan McCarthy.
12. Harvard Business Review Blog – The official blog for the Harvard Business Review contains many free articles and essays on leadership, business, management, personal effectiveness and strategy. One of my favorite sites for business leadership.
13. International Leadership Association (ILA) — is a global network for all those who practice, study and teach leadership. The ILA promotes a deeper understanding of leadership knowledge and practices for the greater good of individuals and communities worldwide
14. Jossey Bass on Leadership – a blog which provides a forum in which leaders can discuss the most pressing issues facing organizations and the world today, providing the focus, perspective, information, and advice leaders need to create successful, effective, and healthy organizations.
15. Journal of Leadership Education — is an official publication of the Association of Leadership Educators. The purpose of JOLE is to provide a forum for development of the knowledge base and practice of leadership education.
16. Lead.org — LEAD is an international non-profit organization with a fast growing network of 2000 leaders in more than 90 countries who wish to inspire leadership for a sustainable world.
17. Leadership Challenge Blog — Our point of view is simple, really. We believe Leadership is Everyone’s Business!
18. Leadership Development — Academic Journals — contains a list of academic journals that often contain articles on some aspect of leadership development. Some articles of note, as recommended by the Center of Leadership Development, are listed here.
19. Leadership Knowledge Base — The objective of this web site is to give resources to help you learn how to become a leader who can catalyze a team to achieve outstanding results.
20. Leadership Learning Community — is a nonprofit organization focused on connecting organizations and individuals in the leadership development field, including practitioners, grant-makers and thought leaders.  Their primary focus is leadership development for social justice.
21. Leadership Turn – a leadership blog maintained by the b5media network.
22. Leadership501 — A very good and concise blog with posts giving examples and tips for developing and improving leadership capabilities.
23. LeadershipNow.com – Site containing leadership quotes, ideas and a nice blog with many articles on the subject of leadership.
24. Linked2Leadership — The Linked 2 Leadership Blog is designed to serve professionals interested in personal & professional growth. They provide a “safe and fun” place to learn, grown and develop other leaders.
25. Management Craft — Blog for the group “Management Performance International”. Discussions about state of the art business management.
26. ManagementToday.com — Website for Management Today magazine. A large number of leadership and management articles. Type in Leadership into its search engine to get leadership articles from its archives.
27. Managing Leadership Blog – blog by the author of the best selling book “Managing Leadership”.
28. Marshall Goldsmith Library – an online library is filled with free articles, columns, interviews, webcasts, podcasts, audios and videos.
29. Seth Godin’s Blog – blog for the best selling author of 10 books including “Tribes”. It’s ranked 15th in the world by Technorati and is the only marketing blog to be in the top 50 sites. Godin is great on leadership and marketing.
30. Steve Denning’s Blog — leadership, innovation, business narrative & high-performance teams.
31. SteveFarber.com — Steve Farber is the president of Extreme Leadership, Incorporated, an organization devoted to the cultivation and development of Extreme Leaders in the business community. He is also a best selling author and this is his blog.
32. The Art and Science of Leadership — Warren Bennis’s Leadership Page. This site provides a good overview of setting goals, supervising, training, and influencing others as a leader.
33. The Community Leadership Association — a non-profit organization, founded in 1979, dedicated to nurturing leadership in communities throughout the United States and internationally.
34. The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations — The mission of the EI Consortium is to advance research and practice of emotional and social intelligence in organizations through the generation and exchange of knowledge.
35. The Drucker Foundation — Established in 1990 as the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, the Leader to Leader Institute furthers its mission—to strengthen the leadership of the social sector—by providing social sector leaders with essential leadership wisdom, inspiration and resources to lead for innovation and to build vibrant social sector organizations.
36. The Ken Blanchard Group — site of the Ken Blanchard companies containing some good resources, white papers and access to archived webinars on leadership (webinar access requires registration, but it’s free).
37. The Leadership Hub – known to many as the world’s online leadership community.
38. Three Star Leadership Blog — If you are a boss at any level, this blog will give you insight, information, and pointers to resources to do a better job and live a better life
39. TomPeters.com -  Great personal site of best selling business author Tom Peters. Many articles on leadership in addition to many other subjects that will be of interest to people who wish to be leaders in business, family, and community.
40. U.S. Air War College — Center for Strategic Leadership Studies
41. U.S. Air War College — Department of Leadership & Ethics
42. U.S. Army War College — Center for Strategic Leadership
43. U.S. Coast Guard — Office of Leadership and Professional Development
44. U.S. Navy Leadership Competency Model (NLCM)
45. Unfolding Leadership – A blog by Executive coach Dan Oestreich.  Many of his posts give good reflections on the subject of leadership.
46. Weekly Leader — This site searches the Internet and print world for news about the latest and best practices in leadership and Weekly Leader will present summaries filled with links to the original content; you could consider us your Cliff Notes for leadership.
47. What Makes a Good Leader – This site provides tools and practical guidance on developing strategy at a level that is suitable for senior managers who are developing corporate strategy, while still being relevant for all levels of operational planning.
48. Youthleadership.com – an online information center dedicated to providing current, creative, and dynamic youth leadership education information; and serving as a resource clearinghouse for individuals who work with youth leaders.

If there’s a leadership website not listed above but believe should be, share it with us below.

What are some of your favorite leadership websites?

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