Management Skills vs. Leadership Skills

It's an age old discussion. Training courses, management gurus, and consulting firms often discuss the difference between management skills and leadership skills. There is some inherent need to want to create a distinction between the two types of skills. Before we provide our thinking on the distinctions between the two we want to make it clear that they are not mutually exclusive skill sets. Leaders need management skills and managers need leadership skills.

Warren Bennis, professor at the University of Southern California and business writer, states, “There is a profound difference between management and leadership, and both are important. To manage means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct. Leading is influencing, guiding in a direction, course, action, opinion. The distinction is crucial."

Below is Bennis' paired contrast of managers and leaders.

Managers Administer Maintain Accept reality Focus on systems and structures Rely on control Have a short-range view Ask how and when Have their eye always on the bottom line Imitate Accept the status quo Are the classic good soldiers

Leaders Innovate Develop Investigate it Focus on people Inspire trust Have a long-range perspective Ask what and why Have their eye on the horizon Originate Challenge it Are their own person

Adapted from, Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader, pg. 9. Perseus Books / Addison Wesley, 1997.

We would add to this list the following distinctions:

Managers	Leaders
Support the daily execution of tasks Oversee the tactical work of others Lead individuals to complete assignments Have subordinates Focus on getting things done	Create and communicate a vision Oversee the direction of the overall organization Lead the organization to long-term success Have followers Empower people to execute the vision

When you understand the distinctions you can more easily determine when it is appropriate to use one skill set over the other

Written by Jennifer Mounce, President, Coach Effect. Coach Effect is a coaching, consulting and development firm focused on engaging employees through leadership and organizational effectiveness. For more information, please contact us.