If you’re exploring social media or reading thought pieces online, you’ve probably seen many takes comparing Leaders and Managers. Often, these perspectives are superficial and create an unnecessary divide by presenting managers negatively and leaders as purely virtuous. For anyone serious about understanding both roles—especially aspiring Management professionals at top B-Schools like United World School of Business (UWSB)—it’s crucial to see the real value in both leadership and managerial excellence.
Leadership vs Management: Why Comparing Them Is a Mistake
Contrasting Leadership and Managerial skills is a bad idea. As the adage goes, it is like “comparing apples and oranges”. The truth is, they are two different aspects of management, and both are of immense value. There are situations, roles, and functions that demand Leadership skills. Then there are situations, roles, and functions that demand managerial skills in their purest form. Often enough, a combination of Leadership qualities and managerial skills may be required, while in other situations and roles, one may be required to overshadow the other. It is important to understand the essence of both and make a distinction, keeping in mind the value that each brings to an organisation. If you are pursuing a Management program at a Top B-school, such as the United World School of Business (UWSB), gaining insight into both leadership and management is essential for a successful career.
Why Leadership Isn’t About Efficiency: The Real Role of Bold, Unconventional Decisions
Leadership is about finding unconventional solutions, shifting the paradigm to maximize the best outcomes from a situation and available resources. It is not so much about efficiency; it is about getting the job done and achieving the goal. Rules may be bent (innovation), costs may shoot (out-of-the-box solutions), deadlines and volumes may take precedence over quality parameters, and details may be left to the devil to take care of. Collateral damages are okay, and the rebuttal to the escalating cost – financial and otherwise – is most likely to be “but we got it done!” Such an approach may be fine in “war situations” – a product launch, beating competition in a new or emerging market, introduction of a new technique or approach, or while managing and ensuring that the team is motivated enough. But an organisation is not in a “war situation” for the largest part of its life and operation. You can not be shooting from the hip in a normal situation. You don’t have to be a hero, high on risk-taking and adrenaline, all the time.
Why Good Managers Matter More Than Heroic Leaders in Everyday Business
When the dust of the “war situation” settles, one needs to operate the business with a sedentary approach. The processes must be defined; rules must be followed. Quality standards must be met. That is when a manager steps in. A manager understands and values the process. Ensures that the best results are achieved at minimum cost. She/he doesn’t have to be a hero. All that is needed is that the system operates efficiently in conformity with the defined rules and processes. The easiest to understand would be the example of a manager operating the railway services. Success is not defined by trains reaching ahead of time, even if there are accidents and casualties. Success would be measured in terms of timely arrivals, at the lowest cost, with ideally no accidents or damages. This will be possible only if the rules and systems are adhered to.
Leadership has often been projected as something that everyone must aspire to achieve in a position. The fact remains that being a good manager is as, if not more, important than being a leader. In fact, if one were to study the career trajectories of professional corporate leaders, one would discover that they first proved themselves to be effective managers before they assumed leadership roles. In the case of founders of start-ups, they start off as leaders, innovative, risk-taking, challenge-oriented, motivators, etc. Some of them understand their limitations and hand over the operations of their business to professional managers. Others either developed the qualities of an effective manager or perished – BYJU’s is a classic example.
Being a leader may be rewarding and exciting, but in the absence of managerial skills, it may peter out rather soon. Being a quiet manager is not such a bad thing after all!
Ayaz A Shafi, Professor of Practice – IQ City United World School of Business, Kolkata
