by Leader
A leader is a person who guides or directs a group of people, often in an organizational or political context. A leader may hold a formal position of power, or may be someone who emerges informally as a respected figure among their peers. Leadership can take many forms, and can be based on different styles, such as democratic, autocratic, or transformational. Effective leaders are able to inspire and motivate others to work towards a common goal, and make difficult decisions when necessary.
Types of Organizational Leader
There are several different types of organizational leaders, each with their own unique characteristics and leadership styles. Some examples include:
- Autocratic leaders: These leaders make decisions on their own and expect their subordinates to follow them without question. They have little tolerance for input or discussion from others.
- Democratic leaders: These leaders involve their subordinates in decision making and encourages participation and input from all members.
- Laissez-faire leaders: These leaders take a hands-off approach and give their subordinates a great deal of freedom in how they perform their work.
- Transformational leaders: These leaders inspire and motivate their subordinates to not only meet but exceed expectations. They help to create a positive and productive work environment.
- Servant leaders: These leaders place the needs of their subordinates above their own and work to empower them to reach their full potential.
- Strategic leaders: These leaders have a clear vision and set of goals for the organization, and they work to align the actions of the organization to achieve these goals.
- Authentic leaders: These leaders are true to themselves and act in a way that is consistent with their values and beliefs.
Scope of Organizational Leader
The scope of an organizational leader can vary depending on the specific role and responsibilities of the leader, as well as the size and structure of the organization. In general, an organizational leader’s scope can include:
- Setting direction and vision: The leader is responsible for creating a clear vision and strategy for the organization, and communicating this to all members of the organization.
- Decision making: The leader is responsible for making important decisions that affect the organization, such as allocating resources, setting priorities, and making policy changes.
- Managing people: The leader is responsible for managing and leading the employees within the organization, which may include recruiting, training, mentoring, and evaluating performance.
- Managing resources: The leader is responsible for managing the financial and other resources of the organization, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost management.
- Building relationships: The leader is responsible for building relationships with key stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers, and partners, in order to support the goals of the organization.
- Representing the organization: The leader is responsible for representing the organization to external stakeholders, such as the media, government officials, and the general public.
- Managing risks and crises: The leader is responsible for identifying and managing risks and crises that may impact the organization, and developing plans to mitigate or respond to these risks.
Manager
A manager is a person responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and control of an organization or a specific area of its operations. They are typically responsible for creating and implementing policies, setting goals, and overseeing the work of other employees. Managers can be found in a wide variety of organizations, including businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. The specific responsibilities and duties of a manager can vary depending on the type of organization and the level of management they hold.
Types of Manager
There are several types of managers, including:
- Operations Manager: responsible for the day-to-day operations of a business or organization, such as manufacturing, production, or logistics.
- Human Resources Manager: responsible for recruiting, hiring, and training employees, as well as handling employee relations and benefits.
- Sales Manager: responsible for managing a sales team and achieving sales targets.
- Financial Manager: responsible for managing an organization’s financial resources, such as budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
- Marketing Manager: responsible for creating and implementing marketing strategies to promote products or services.
- Project Manager: responsible for planning, executing, monitoring and closing a specific short-term project which has a beginning and an end, within a defined scope and resources.
- Information Technology (IT) Manager: responsible for managing an organization’s IT infrastructure and technology resources.
- General Manager: responsible for overall management of a business or organization, including all aspects of operations, finance, marketing, and human resources.
Working and Scope of Manager
The scope and responsibilities of a manager can vary depending on the type of manager and the organization they work for. Generally, managers are responsible for creating and implementing policies, setting goals, and overseeing the work of other employees.
Some of the specific responsibilities of a manager include:
- Planning and organizing: managers are responsible for planning and organizing the work of their team or department, and ensuring that resources are used effectively.
- Leading and motivating: managers are responsible for leading and motivating their team, and for creating a positive and productive work environment.
- Controlling and monitoring: managers are responsible for controlling and monitoring the performance of their team or department, and for taking corrective action when necessary.
- Decision making: managers are responsible for making important decisions that affect their team or department, and for communicating those decisions to the rest of the organization.
- Communicating: managers are responsible for communicating with other managers, employees, and external stakeholders, such as customers and suppliers.
- Problem-solving: Managers are responsible for solving problems that arise within their team or department and finding solutions that benefit the organization.
- Budgeting and financial management: Managers are responsible for managing the budget and financial resources of their team or department and ensuring that they are used effectively and efficiently.
- Representing the organization: Managers are often responsible for representing the organization to external stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers, and other businesses.
Important Differences Between Leader and Manager
| Leader | Manager |
|---|---|
| Focuses on achieving a vision and inspiring others | Focuses on achieving goals and objectives through planning, organizing, and controlling resources |
| Emphasizes on direction, motivation, and empowerment | Emphasizes on administration and supervision |
| Often has a less formal role within an organization | Often has a more formal role and authority within an organization |
| Often leads by example and personal influence | Often relies on positional authority and rules |
| Often focuses on the future and long-term vision | Often focuses on the present and short-term goals |
| Can be found at any level of an organization | Generally found at higher levels of an organization |
| Encourage creativity and innovation | Follows established guidelines and protocols |
Leaders and managers are often thought of as the same thing, but there are some key differences between the two roles.
- Focus: Leaders focus on creating a vision and inspiring others to work towards it, while managers focus on achieving specific goals and objectives.
- Style: Leaders tend to have a more charismatic and visionary leadership style, while managers tend to have a more directive and controlling leadership style.
- Decision-making: Leaders tend to make decisions based on intuition and creativity, while managers tend to make decisions based on data and analysis.
- Power: Leaders tend to have more informal power, based on their ability to inspire and motivate others, while managers tend to have more formal power, based on their position within the organization.
- Influence: A leader’s influence often comes from their ability to inspire and motivate others, while a manager’s influence often comes from their ability to coordinate and control resources.
- Role: A leader’s role is often more focused on inspiring and guiding others, while a manager’s role is more focused on planning, organizing, and controlling.
- Outcome: A leader’s outcome is more often related to the motivation and productivity of the team, while a manager’s outcome is more often related to the achievement of specific goals and objectives.
In summary, leaders tend to focus on creating a vision and inspiring others to work towards it, while managers tend to focus on achieving specific goals and objectives. The styles, decision-making, power, influence and roles of leaders and managers are different.
