Kimberly Wiefling is currently on a leadership blogging spree at the UCSC Extension Silicon Valley’s “Art of Project Management”. Manage Cows, but LEAD People discusses the difference between leadership and management. Her post explains that even though someone is in high-ranking management positions, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are true leaders.
Sometimes, leadership and management can be misunderstood as a dichotomy. They can be used together or separately. When I was first starting to manage people, I recall going to leadership training. Many managers claimed they were leaders, not managers. This seemed to me strange. It doesn’t have to be either/or.
You can be a leader and a manager simultaneously. You can be both a leader and a manager. You can have both leadership and management skills that work together to motivate and make people more productive. I don’t think you can be a leader without excellent management skills.
What are your thoughts about leadership and management? Please leave a comment