Friday, January 28, 2011

Management Vs Leadership

What do you do for a living? Do you scan bar codes? Do you fix cars? Do you create ad campaigns? Whatever you do, chances are you have a boss. Unless you run your own business, there is probably someone in charge of you. We all have some sort of disdain for the idea of a boss. We don't like people telling us what to do. But the role of the boss is actually essential to the success of your company. Without some kind of direction, workers may become inefficient and productivity may slow down. When productivity slows down, your company goes out of business and you lose your job. If your boss is doing his job, he actually saves your job.

Now, the meaning of a boss in America has changed as our standard of living has increased. At the time of the Industrial Revolution, most jobs in America were mundane, routine, manufacturing jobs. Each task could easily be done in a scientifically calculated, efficient manner. The style of management then was very top-down. The boss was a 'manager.' He told his workers what to do and the workers did it. In jobs that require only manpower and little thought, scientific management is perhaps the best means of creating a productive workplace.

Today, though, it isn't quite so simple. Most jobs in America are not in manufacturing. They are in the service industry. Most jobs involve a creative, non-quantifiable human aspect that contributes largely to productivity. Yet, many companies still attempt to manage scientifically. In sales, for example, the boss is typically known as the 'sales manager.' However, I would argue that what is really needed is a 'sales leader.' You can't tell someone to sell something in the same way that you can tell someone to put something together on an assembly line. The art of sales is much more complicated. A top-down approach can often be counterproductive.

So, what is the difference between a manager and a leader? A manager tells his workers what do in order to get results and a leader prompts his workers to find their own creative way to get results. A manager makes decisions. A leader inspires decisions. A leader never has to tell his workers what to do, because it is implicit in his role that the workers will respect his insight and example. In the complex roles that employees play today in the workplace, I would argue that we need less managers and more leaders. Creativity in such roles can bring about endless productivity. Managers hinder creativity while leaders provoke it. A good manager has his workers follow everything he says. A good leader has his workers elaborate on everything he says. A leader is a motivator. A leader promotes progress. A leader inspires.

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