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Guest post by: Scot Reid Become an Author

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There is a difference between effective management and leadership; and both are required in order for an organization to be effective. However, most leaders spend the majority of their time managing rather than leading and so it's important to understand the differences.

Managing is controlling, influencing, handling and accomplishing outcomes through the use of available resources. It involves planning, organizing, staffing and directing; deploying financial, technological, natural and human resources in an effort to accomplish the desired goal. This may sound uninspiring to most who work for an organization, but effective managers are good at working with resources, processes or systems to get things done.

On the other hand, Leadership influences people to unite their skills, time and efforts towards the accomplishment of a common goal and/or desired outcome. Leaders may or may not have formal authority given to them, they effect behavior through persuasion, intelligence, charisma, trust and the respect of those whom they interact with. Being an effective leader can depend on having the right situation or circumstances to match the characteristics of the individual. Effective leadership cannot be imposed on an organization; it comes naturally through shared experiences. Leadership activities involve interacting with individuals and/or groups, presenting ideas, soliciting opinions, developing a future vision and bringing others to see and desire this vision.

It's common to identify yourself with one over the other and feel more comfortable with managing verses leading or vise versa. However, it's important that you know the difference so you can assess the activity that your involved with at any given time to make adjustments as needed or fill your talent gaps with people who can meet your needs. If you are unsure about your leadership and management skills, ask someone who knows you best such as a spouse or close friend who is willing to communicate and provide you with constructive feedback. You may also consider using a personality assessment tool such as Myers Briggs. The more you know about yourself, the more adjustments you can make to be effective as a leader.

As you move throughout the day, you should be aware of what type of activity your engaged in regarding leadership and managing. This will help you assess what it lacking and identify solutions to meet the needs of the organization. For example, you may be frustrated that your organization lacks the commitment to implement a new critical system. You then determine that your spending most of your time working through the implementation details of the system while spending little time communicating the benefits, potential use and rational regarding this system. Effective leadership will increase support of the organization, people will seek to become directly involved in the implementation, and you will have more time to lead rather than managing detailed tasks.

It takes both leadership and managing to develop high performing organizations. Emphasizing one over the other to compensate for the gap will impact the success of your desired outcome and the desired outcome of the organization.

Scot

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