To continue with our discussion of the case study, I’m beginning to feel that the idea there is a bright-line distinction between a “leader” and a “manager” is largely a fallacy. Following our discussion of the case study, it became apparent fairly quickly we were not going to agree that Jane needed to be a “leader” or a “manager.” The characteristics of both a leader and of a manager that we discussed will be needed in her situation.
So, she needs to be both a leader and a manager? She needs to “inspire” her workers to do more work and effectively “manage” them to perform as expected? My gut reaction to this distinction is that is a merely an argument of semantics. We have similar expectations for what we've categorized as leaders and managers. We expect them to convince those underneath them to perform as expected, be it through “leading” or “managing.”
I’m still wrestling with the best way to express my gut reaction, but the best way I’ve come up with so far, is to pose the question. Would you expect a leader to be unable to manage?
So, she needs to be both a leader and a manager? She needs to “inspire” her workers to do more work and effectively “manage” them to perform as expected? My gut reaction to this distinction is that is a merely an argument of semantics. We have similar expectations for what we've categorized as leaders and managers. We expect them to convince those underneath them to perform as expected, be it through “leading” or “managing.”
I’m still wrestling with the best way to express my gut reaction, but the best way I’ve come up with so far, is to pose the question. Would you expect a leader to be unable to manage?
-Brandon
No - in my mind, I see a leader as someone who has proven herself/himself as a manager. S/he eventually transitions into a formal role of "leadership" and less of the day-to-day "managing". But I undersand what you mean in the sense that a leader will always manage in some way (at least I believe). Therefore, it's difficult to truly separate the two. To answer your question however - I would hope and expet that a leader is in fact a very capable manager. That's not to say that we encounter the opposite on OUR day-to-day experiences, but I guess that's for a different class altogether.
ReplyDeleteValeria Bonanome
I am also a bit confused about the distinction, but I would lean that it does exist. I think what Valeria wrote about fits my work experience. While my boss is both a leader and a manager, I would say he is much stronger at leading than managing. He is visionary, bring new ideas to the table, and is often asked for advice. I consult with him on projects and the bigger picture. Yet, when it comes to management, I feel I am better off speaking with our assistant director rather than him. This is because he is so far removed from doing the daily work-- including paper work and program logistics, that he is not able to manage it as well he should. For example, when something needs to be reviewed, he just scans it for the gist, whereas another colleague/assistant director would scan it for errors.
ReplyDeleteI am reading a book for this class on generational change and it talks about the stressed baby boomers leaving their positions of executive director, not because they want to retire but they can't handle the pressure and workload of their jobs anymore. A suggestion is to break the position into two roles that are more managable. Maybe one can be of a more visionary leader and the other better at managing day-to-day tasks. This could be an effective and more specialized way to have both aspects.
I tend to agree with Monica that there is a functional distinction at least between leaders and managers. In the United Nations, most staff members at the Director level fall definitively into the category of "leader" in that they are not expected to be involved in the "nitty gritty" of the work of the office. The management they do perform is done through broad strokes of direction or in name only. For example, as personnel focal point in our office, I manage the routine business of monitoring contractual issues of our staff. My Director signs off on it and will intervene if an issue arises, but he is largely uninvolved with the process and certainly unfamiliar with the UN human resource policy necessary to perform these tasks. Nor should he – attending to those details would consume mental energy that would be more usefully applied toward developing the office’s strategic approach or reserved for when an extenuating circumstance necessitates his involvement.
ReplyDeleteAnother Director in the UN system recently completed a research project on leadership and management in the United Nations in which he affirmed the value in functional distinctions between leaders and managers. After interviewing several high-level current and former staff members, he concluded that leaders and managers are distinct in their vital stats: a leader needs to have a vision, must be able to guide an organization into the future; a manager needs strong interpersonal skills in order to do her/his job effectively. This strikes me as a realistic approach given the need for a division of labor (specialization) in organizations. Making one person responsible for both micromanagement of an organization or sub-unit within one, as well as leading an organization's evolution may be expecting too much. For this reason, I believe that, while managerial experience is good background for someone aspiring to be a leader, and while some macro-level managerial functions should be part of a leader's responsibilities, leaders and managers rightfully have distinct responsibilities to fulfil in organizations.
Molly Flanagan
October 5, 2010