Indeed, there is generally a difference between leadership and management, although some people are able to put them together while others aren’t. To me, Leadership is the quality of being able to get people to do what’s needed to be done by gaining their trust and respect through care and perseverance. It requires that you also put forth effort and to work alongside those you are leading to reach your goal.
Management, on the other hand, is merely the act of getting those you are in charge of to do what you tell them to. It’s not so much about them wanting to work for you but more about the fact that you have control of their status within the group you are managing and that you are indeed in charge. They don’t need to like you, and you don’t have to give a crap about what they think or say. All you have to care about is that things get done.
Putting the two together can be tricky sometimes, and some may tell you that it doesn’t work well to combine them, but in my opinion it works BEST when you can meld the two together. I’ve found that while people will listen to management, they generally are more willing to work with a leader. When you have both in the same person, the productivity of their employees or associates can as much as double, because not only is that person capable of delegating multiple tasks at once, but those he or she is supervising are willing to do the tasks because they respect their supervisor and know that he or she is willing to help them or guide them if they need it.
It saddens me when I see so many managers that run by brute force alone. Their mentality is that if the employee doesn’t want to do it, they don’t have to keep the job. They don’t care about the employees or why they might not be working as well one day compared to another, and they don’t care to care. All they are there for as far as they are concerned is to bring home a paycheck that isn’t worth it to them TO care.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m off base, but I’d personally rather work for someone that showed a genuine concern in my own well-being as well as being concerned with getting the tasks at hand done. I’d rather work for someone that isn’t afraid to step up and help or guide me through something that I don’t understand or am having a hard time with. That’s just my two cents though. Any thoughts?
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