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Difference Between Managers and Leaders
Sara Abaev
School of Business, Molloy College
BUS 2010 02: Principles of Management
Professor Antonia Loschiavo
December 19, 2021
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Many times, the words manager and leader are used interchangeably. However, a leader
and a manager are very different. Managers and leaders possess different skills and
characteristics. Not every manager is a good leader, nor every leader is a good manager. But both
leaders and managers make a significant contribution to a business or organization.
Abraham Zaleznik, a Harvard Business School Professor Emeritus, was the first person to
write about the differences between leaders and managers in his article “Managers and Leaders:
Are They Different?” Zaleznik described managers as those who “embrace process, seek
stability and control, and instinctively try to resolve problems quickly.” On the other hand,
Zaleznik described leaders as those who “tolerate chaos and lack of structure and are willing to
delay closure in order to understand the issues more fully.”
John Kotter added on the difference between leaders and managers. Kotter writes,
“management is fundamentally a set of processes… planning budgeting, organizing staffing
controlling, and problem-solving” to help the organization function the way it needs. On the
other hand, “leadership is a set of processes involving creating a vision of the future… for
commuting that out to people in a way that gets them to buy into it.” Leaders inspire and
motivate people to want to make that vision a reality.
Some more terms to differentiate between managers and leaders. Leaders influence, give
direction, innovate, think long-term, and create. Managers plan, organize, control, think about
stability, maintain, implement, and schedule. As it can be seen, the two are different, but they
also often overlap with one another. (Lumen Learning, n.d.). Even though the skills and
characteristics of leaders and managers are different and not every leader is a manager or a
manager a leader, it is still possible for a person to be both by learning and developing their
ability in each.
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It is essential to know the difference between leading and managing to ensure both are
present in the organization as both are essential to the success of a business. Many companies
that were once successful failed due to the lack of leadership in their organizations. For example,
Kodak, a company that invented digital photography in the 70s, failed to innovate as its
executives were afraid to sway from traditional film. Kodak is still around, but it is not as big as
it was before. Additionally, many companies failed due to the lack of management in their
organization. For example, Toys R Us failed to correctly file taxes and Kmart for misleading
shareholders and company officials about the company’s financial crisis. Both companies filed
for bankruptcy.
In conclusion, there are unique differences between a manager’s and a leader’s skills and
characteristics. Both managers and leaders bring tremendous value to an organization. A
manager sets clear expectations and rules to achieve the goal of the organization. And a leader
motivates their employees or team members to want to accomplish the goal in the best way
possible. Not every person is both, but they can learn and develop skills in leadership and
management. It is crucial to have both in an organization to ensure its success.
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References
Azad, N., Anderson, H. G., Jr, Brooks, A., Garza, O., O'Neil, C., Stutz, M. M., & Sobotka, J. L.
(2017). Leadership and Management Are One and the Same. American journal of
pharmaceutical education, 81(6), 102. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe816102
Kotter, J. P. (1990). Force For Change: How Leadership Differs from Management [E-book].
Free Press.
Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Leader or Manager? | Organizational Behavior and Human Relations.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-organizationalbehavior/chapter/leader-ormanager/
Martic, K. (2020, October 27). Leadership Vs. Management: The 5 Main Differences. Smarp.
https://blog.smarp.com/leadership-vsmanagement#:%7E:text=One%20of%20the%20main%20differences%20between%20lea
ders%20and,and%20procedures%20around%20budgeting%2C%20organizational%20str
ucturing%2C%20and%20staffing.
Pugh, A. (2019, January). 10 businesses that failed due to poor management. E-Careers.
https://www.e-careers.com/connected/10-business-that-failed-due-to-poor-management
These Leadership Fails Ruined Perfectly Good Companies. (n.d.). RateMyJob.
https://www.ratemyjob.com/leadership/22489/17-leadership-fails-that-ruined-goodcompanies/
Western Governors University. (2020, May 25). Leader vs Manager: What’s the Difference?
https://www.wgu.edu/blog/leader-vs-manager-difference2005.html#close
Zaleznik A. Manager and leaders: are they different? Harvard Business Review. 1977