Leader - Manager : Chicken - Egg?

...Chicken>Egg>Chicken>Egg... The two are tied to one another and only God knows how it started.

     The relationship between Leadership & Management is often misunderstood.  But in my opinion their relationship is different than that of the chicken and the egg in that they are not entirely dependent on one another.

     During personal development discussions with people, I have encouraged them to develop their Leadership ability/skills.  Numerous times, individuals have said "I don't think it is fair to rate me on leadership, because I am not a manager."   Hmm, are Leadership and Management one and the same?  Must you have/do one in order to do the other?  

     I believe that Leadership and Management skills/abilities are two separate but partially dependent things.  Not every manager is a leader, and not every leader is a manager. From a simplistic view, I believe there are four different possibilities.

1. A person is a leader
2. A person is a manager
3. A person is both a leader and manager
4. A person is neither a leader not a manager

     Managing involves organizing resources (people, finances, etc) together with processes in order to deliver specific results or goals. For example, a manager can assign work, track or oversee budgets, insure delivery of services, and assess personnel performance.  Managers may be delegated authority in a given area.  In some instances, there is influence management where a person is not officially delegated authority but still have significant impact on the area or situation because of their knowledge or experience.

     Leadership is setting a vision for the future, then motivating and inspiring others to take action to move toward that vision.  While managers are delegated authority/power, a leader's power emanates from the trust of individuals who also buy-in to the vision and who are willing to put forth the effort required to achieve it.

     In reality, everyone has inherent management and leadership skills.  They are different abilities and each individual has a unique combination of the two.  One person may have exceptional management skills but lack leadership ability.  Another may be a great leader but not very organized when it comes to management.  Fewer people have a combination of both exceptional management and leadership ability.  The good news is that both can be improved with effort.

     So, are you a leader?  Can you manage?  How would you rate your ability in each?  Are you interested in improving one or the other, or both?

- BigE