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Two terms that are often used interchangeably – by both industry experts and the wider public – is leadership and management.

In fact, many authorities in this area, including strategy expert Jeroen Kraaijenbrink and published research in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, attest that management and leadership are essentially the same thing.

While there’s certainly overlap between the two, there are several key distinctions that separate management and leadership.

By distinguishing between them, we can not only better understand when a situation would benefit more from one or the other, but also learn how we can develop these different skillsets.

What is leadership versus management?

In short, the main difference between leadership and management is leaders energise teams and set the goals, while managers put the steps in place to achieve these goals.

As 20th century pioneer, Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper put it: “You manage things; you lead people.”

While you can manage people to a degree – by controlling the external systems, processes, and environment around them – people will always choose how they show up internally, and leadership is what influences that choice.

What is the difference between management and leadership?

With management being more about compliance, and leadership about influence, the two often work in tandem to drive progress within an organisation.

Crucially, however, they have very separate roles.

So, what’s the difference between leadership and management? Let’s break it down into three key areas.

Understanding management and leadership differences: School analogy

To get a clearer understanding of what management and leadership looks like in practice, consider how a school operates.

Within practically every school, there’s defined management in the form of:

1. Systems and structures

These systems and structures refer to the policies, timetables, and the physical environment of the building itself. This ensures there’s a designated place for the learning to take place, as well as set rules and a schedule that both teachers and children can follow.

2. Processes

In a school, processes cover aspects such as the way lessons are delivered, the length of lessons, and any behavioural management that takes place. These easy-to-follow processes provide teachers with greater direction, helping them to smoothly navigate the school’s broader systems and structures.

3. Telling

Due to the natural hierarchy of authority in a school, there’s a natural level of ‘telling’ that teachers and other authorities must do to ensure the safety of students. This might include telling them what they need to do in the event of a fire drill, injury, or any other kind of incident.

Schools also tend to have leadership teams who shape what the school becomes rather than ensure compliance.

These leaders play a pivotal role in three key ways:

1. People

Headteachers and other individuals in senior leadership positions are most effective when they understand that teachers and students are individuals, with their own personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and motivations.

By connecting with each person as an individual, they can provide the appropriate encouragement, structure, and support. This contributes to creating a safer, more productive, and welcoming environment for everyone.

2. Vision

Another key role for school leadership teams is to determine what kind of school they’re trying to build – from the academic objectives and social culture to the desired prospects of students that leave the school.

For example, a school might have a mission to increase exam results, foster greater creativity, or put student wellbeing first. Vision goes much further than simple day-to-day operations which are shaped by management-related systems and processes.

3. Selling

To really energise, excite, and inspire their students and staff, school leaders need to be able to clearly explain why the direction they want to move in matters.

Whether they want to try a new teaching method or encourage students to adopt the school’s values, they need to help people actively buy into their ideas and vision, rather than simply telling them and trying to enforce compliance.

The key takeaway? Good management in a school ensures efficiency, compliance, and organisation during the organisation’s day-to-day running. Strong leadership, on the other hand, focuses on influencing people to move the school forward in a predetermined direction.

Which is more important: leadership or management?

There’s no winner here – both management and leadership are hugely important because:

• With management and no leadership, the organisation can feel soulless, and lacking in energy, excitement, and future vision.
• With all leadership and no management, you might find that everyone gets on well, but nothing gets done because there are no vital systems, structures, and processes in place.

However, during the late 1900’s there was a significant spike in business management courses in the UK.

In fact, according to ResearchGate, the number of students taking business and management degrees increased more than any other subject area during the 1980s and 1990s, which means during the past 50 or so years, we’ve gotten pretty good at management.

Leadership, on the other hand, has only really been spoken about and explored to the same degree more recently.

And during this time, the narrative has shifted substantially – from leadership being about just one game-changing person coming into the organisation to more about how leaders interact with people, how they sell their vision, and how they can help an organisation to achieve its goals.

Subsequently, leadership is the newer and lesser-known skill.

This often means that individuals in these positions are more au fait with management than they are leadership, resulting in organisations that function well day-to-day, but lack direction, energy, and momentum.

Alternatively, if you’re already a high-performing executive, leadership coaching can help you to reach the next level and realise your true potential.

Speak to us today about specialist leadership coaching

At the Drew Povey Consultancy, we’re committed to helping companies and individuals succeed with tailored leadership coaching – either on a 1:1, team, or keynote delivery basis.

We’ll take the time to understand your requirements and recommend the most suitable solution. To find out more about our bespoke leadership coaching services, please don’t hesitate to contact our team today.

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