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In his biography "My American Journey" Colin Powell defined leadership as "the art of achieving what the science of management says is impossible." This simple definition highlights the difference between management and leadership. Management is the process of getting things done right, in the most efficient and effective manner. Leadership, on the other hand, is the process by which we determine the "right" things to do. This is not to imply that management does the wrong things, but it does illustrate the clear distinction between the two. The most effective managers must also possess good leadership qualities, but being manager is not the same thing as being a leader.

Managers work with predetermined directions and ensure that work is accomplished in accordance with established procedures. They are responsible for efficient use of resources to accomplish the goals set by leadership. Managers must ensure that workers have the necessary tools to accomplish the assigned tasks.

Leaders, on the other hand, are responsible for setting direction; for creating the vision of the organization's future and for communicating that vision to everyone within the organization. The best leaders are people who spend their energy thinking far into the future, and then helping others see that vision. They leave it to the managers to work out the specific procedures for getting to the goal they have set. A good way to understand the difference between a manager and a leader is to think of the respective roles of the captain of a ship and the helmsman and crew. The captain determines where the ship should go, communicates that direction to the crew, ensures they have the necessary training and authority to carry out his orders, then steps back and observes while the helmsman moves the ship. Really good leaders don't "do" things; at least not in the sense of the day-to-day activities of the organization. They observe, and comment when the organization appears to be moving off course. Managers must be intimately involved in the actual 'doing' to ensure proper procedures are followed - and this is where the leadership component of management comes into play - without sacrificing mission accomplishment to the rule book.

A leader must be a visionary, grounded in reality, while a manager must be a realist who is capable of seeing the intangibles that either support or inhibit mission accomplishment. Leaders and managers must be capable communicators, but the leader must be able to communicate the unseen, the future, while the manager has to be able to communicate specific procedures involved in the task at hand.

The difference between leader and manager is not meant to imply that one is somehow more important than the other. An effective organization needs both. It needs a leader to create the vision of a future where the organization is better than its individual members think it can be, and good management in order to convert the leader's vision into reality. The leader must understand the capabilities and limitations faced by management, so communication of the vision can be made relevant to the entire organization, and people can see how his vision can improve their lives. A manager must have good leadership qualities so that he does not do wrong in the process of getting things done right. It is not enough to just make 'the trains run on time,' they must be on the right track on moving toward the right destination.

Learn more about this author, Charles Ray.
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