Introduction
The first time I was introduced to the concept of leadership was when I got selected for the role of class monitor. During those high school days, the word ‘leader’ seemed to be the most fascinating word to me. Over the years, I learnt a lot about leadership but what gives me a bigger picture is that one single term that complements the efficiency of the entire concept is ‘Management’.
From learning about the qualities to possess as a leader to developing leadership & management skills in the organisation overcoming all the obstacles in the way, in this blog, you’ll get insights on everything you need to know for a great corporate journey & much more.
What is Leadership & Management
Leadership is the cumulative social relationship between 2 or more people, depending on each other to attain certain mutual goals.To achieve this long term goals, leaders has to keep a balance between the maintenance needs (the need for individuals to fit and work together) and task needs (the need for the group to make progress toward attaining the goal)
Management is generally defined as the process of planning, organising, directing, and controlling the activities of employees in combination with other resources to accomplish organisational objectives.
If I want to explain the correlation between leadership & management, it would be like, executing the entire concept of leadership into action is all that management does.
Importance of Leadership & Management
Both leadership and management are complementary for a well-balanced organisation. While leadership focuses on vision, motivation, and fostering innovation, while management is all about providing structure, processes, and discipline needed to keep things running smoothly
Leadership is important in management as it motivates, empowers, and inspires people to perform at their best. Effective leaders understand the significance of leadership for the employees, at the same time, organisations do require management. By using both leadership and management skills, businesses can create a safe, engaging, and productive environment that supports long-term success.
Similarities Between Leadership & Management
Leadership & Management, these terms are often used interchangeably considering certain common ground. Be you are a leader or a manager, there are several requirements that you must follow for the greater cause of organisation,
- Both a manager & a leader have to be in charge of groups of people.
- They must help people or organisations reach their goals.
- Creating & following structured framework for the subordinates to follow
- A manager or leader must encourage open communication.
- A person holding the title & responsibilities of a leader or a manager must be confident, optimistic about the future of the organisation and committed to their roles.
- Having a sense of accountability & integrity is the top priority for a leader & a manager.
Differences Between Leadership & Management
Leadership and management may seem similar, but they each have their own unique role in achieving success-
- Leaders are the visionaries who aim to inspire & motivate people to achieve the goal. A leader is the one guides the team towards the route of reaching their destination. A manager is the one who helps the leader in their vision by implementing strategies, planning, and organising tasks.
- Managers prefer to work using various tactical processes in an organised way. They divide the entire task into achievable ones allotting available required resources. They assign the responsibilities to the teammates for achieving goals. Whereas, leaders tend to focus on aligning & influencing people for more dedicated functioning & better performance in future.
- A leader asks what and why, whereas a manager focuses on the questions of how and when. A leader is the one being vocal & bringing greater changes during the crucial moments of the organization.On the other hand, a manager is never into assessing & analysing the failures.Accepting the status quo and making no attempt to change it, is all they prefer. Carrying out the plan correctly is their prime concern.
- A manager is a job title, a role to play in the organisation that comes with a fixed set of responsibilities, but from a leader it’s expected to inspire others to do their best irrespective of their job title or position.
Types of Leadership in Management
A leader means much more than just a title or seniority. They have the core contribution in making any business successful. They are the ones who set the standard of how the culture of any organisation should look like.
To lead the team in a trendsetting way for others & get the best performance out from the team members, this work life heroes follow certain leadership styles according to their preferences.
Autocratic leadership-
‘ All you’ll do is what you’re told to do’ this is all to describe this leadership style.The leaders are in absolute control of everything. Autocratic leaders may have high productivity levels in super hectic and chaotic environments but they could potentially create a negative work environment and lower employee morale. The employees seem to be too dependent and incapable of making a decision.
Democratic Leadership-
When there is a crowd, there is wisdom. The leaders are still in control but encourage involvement of employees in decision making.Leaders ensure a participatory environment, getting creative outputs from individuals. Employees no longer suffer with low morale, they now feel more involved, more valued.Brainstorming in a decentralised office environment speeds up the overall task management activity.
But at times, it can be problematic to manage all ends effectively since the selection of ideas of one group might invoke ‘left out’ feelings to other groups. The participative decision making process can make the guiding principles confusing.
Laissez faire leadership-
The leaders give autonomy rather than responsibility & complete freedom, with required resources to accomplish their tasks at hand. All that the teammates get from their leader is a bunch of feedback to work on. At the crucial moments, employees are trusted to make a faster decision when facing a difficulty, they do not have to worry about their leader’s approval which sometimes takes a long time.
However, teams with new members cannot practise this kinda leadership style since To reach that level of confidence and knowledge it requires years. Otherwise, it is very risky.
Transformational leadership-
In this style, the team grows both personally and professionally to accomplish the overarching overall objective of the organization.Under transformational leadership, employees can clearly perceive the organisation’s vision and goals and devote efforts, time & energy. They prefer to be productive as they strive to fulfil their mission. Since there is the ability to spark intellectual interest, motivate engagement & have genuine communication skills, there has to be peace in the workplace.
Though over time, employees do feel overwhelmed due to following the same line of rules over and over again.
Qualities of a Great Leader
To go through all the daily hustle & bustle of performing multiple tasks, it often gets difficult for a leader to keep sane. Building up these following qualities can be life saving in those crucial moments-
Decisiveness- A Leader has to be able to make decisions in the face of extreme pressure considering all relevant factors. Defending your decision & providing reasoning if questioned by those you’re accountable to is a great practice to encourage transparency in the workplace.However, a wise approach of asking for advice to the knowledgeable person in the workplace is always welcomed.
Trustworthiness- Be a credible & equitable leader for your teammates, be a genuine person while being honest to your job, your teammates should find you as a non-judgemental person to share their problems & insecurities, openly discussing the importance of trust within the team or wider organisation.
Empowerment of others-While being a leader, you thrive to be trustworthy, you need to make sure you trust your teammates as well.Rather than you try to be an expert in everything always, trust the work your employees are submitting from their expertise in the respective field.Delegate daily tasks, help them grow as an empowered professional outside of their comfort zone
Clear communication- You can have a well focused goal & all the planning ready to achieve that goal, but if there is no cooperation from the employees, it would be a complete mess. To avoid that, you need to make sure you clearly communicate the bigger goal & consistently motivate them to outperform for their own benefit, as well as the organisation’s.
Resilience- Every role comes with some sort of responsibilities. While a leader has the potential to fulfil all the management activities at the same time, they need to be resilient to get back up each time they get knocked down; Show resilience by not dwelling on short-term failures and instead focus on the learnings you can take away for future reference.
Leadership Challenges
Distress is an unavoidable part of destiny. In a leader’s destiny, the distresses come in the form of challenging situations they need to deal with for a better organisational output.
The most faced challenges of leadership are below:
Credibility Gaps- Mostly seen during gaining the trust of stakeholders and enhancing visibility within an organisation. Senior leaders may also need to strengthen their leadership image or presence to be most effective.
Limited Market share- Sometimes organisations prefer to do strategic shifts to increase market share.This includes expanding the organisation beyond core products, extending market reach, shifting to a market / customer orientation, and better aligning of sales which can make the list of tough tasks even longer & stress level higher.
Process improvement across Groups- Another big challenge for senior leaders is getting the organisation to accept and improve new processes. To do this, leaders need to be strategic leaders, working well across different teams and departments, and taking a step back to see the bigger picture of how everything fits together.
Limited Self-Awareness- leaders should consider how employees perceive them. Recognizing their impact on subordinates, they should improve their confidence, approachability, and communication style (particularly when delivering difficult messages)
Transitioning into a new role- Adapting to changes in responsibilities and managing new people or former peers is a final key leadership issue for leaders in senior level.
How to develop Leadership & Management Skills
There are some prerequisites to address & take in account for developing leadership & management skills in the organisation-
- Focus on developing your people- Your employees are your asset. As a leader, it’s crucial to invest time and energy into developing your people to their fullest potential. Take the time to understand their strengths, weaknesses, level of knowledge, interests and ambitions, and help them to grow and develop.
- Develop a growth mindset- Having a growth mindset is critical. This means having a positive attitude and being open to new ideas. Be courageous enough to take risks and be comfortable with failure.
- Unleash the potential of your team- Understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team. Knowing their individual skills and abilities separately, will help you assign tasks and responsibilities effectively.
- Learn & practice conflict resolution- A leader needs to be able to resolve conflicts between team members and manage difficult conversations.
- Listen & learn- Your teammates can have better insights in their fields of expertise. Listening up their ideas to gain more knowledge.
- Foster Teamwork- To encourage unity among team members leaders should opt for team collaboration. This will help to create a positive working environment and achieve better performance.
Final Words
Leadership and management both go hand in hand for a successful organisation. Leadership inspires and motivates people to reach their full potential, while management ensures tasks are planned, organised, and executed efficiently. Cumulatively, they create a balanced environment where teams are productive, and prepared enough for long-term growth. Strong leaders use different styles to guide their teams, become adaptive to challenges, and empower their teammates, while managers focus on implementing strategies and achieving goals. By mastering both leadership and management skills, businesses can get upper hand in today’s competitive world.
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