Essay on Leadership and Management

It is known that both management and leadership play a significant role in any business organization. Although there are certain differences between the functions of management and leadership, managers often act as leaders and effectively demonstrate their leadership skills, directing and motivating employees to attain the major organizational goals. The primary function of management is “to provide order and consistency to organizations”, while the primary function of leadership is “to produce change and movement”, according to Northouse (10).

The concepts of business ethics and social responsibility affect both leaders and managers who must take many different social issues into consideration when they are making decisions. Ethical leadership contributes to maintaining of the ethical standards in the organization. This fact means that employees “more readily commit to the organization’s core values when they see that leaders and managers behave ethically” (Boone & Kurtz 65).  Modern managers pay special attention to the concepts of right and wrong which can be viewed as fundamental principles of management. Andreas Sofroniou states that in business, ethics and law are based on “the principle of self-determination” by competent employees (16).

The concept of power refers both to leadership and to management. The concept of power is the so-called potential to influence others in the group. It is known that there are two key forms of power: personal power and position power. It is clear that position power is more assigned to leadership. As a rule, position power includes “legitimate, reward and coercive power” (Northouse 13). As a manager, I will use the concept of power in the following ways: I will use authority to ensure that the major organizational goals are achieved, and I will build a power based on the appropriate management role in the organization. Successful leaders know how to avoid the abuse of power. I will pays special attention to gender differences and try to solve the existing problems without conflicts.

The difference between leadership and management reflects my personal position, because as a manager, I try to combine human and technical resources in a proper way in order to achieve the major organizational goals, as well as to demonstarte certain leadership skills. Special attention should be paid to human skills as interpersonal relationships play a significant role both in management and in leadership.

Although there are a number of differences between leadership and management, these two concepts may overlap. When a manager is engaged in influencing (motivating and inspiring) a group of employees to meet the major goals of the organization, he is involved in leadership. In the same way, when a leader is engaged in planning, organizing, controlling, problem solving or staffing, he is involved in management.

Modern organizational theory is focused on the fact that today organizations have less reliance on hierarchical controls, but greater opportunities for organizational change and personal mobility. I will use this theory in the future to guide my self-direction effort. As contemporary management practices are focused on non-classical organizational theory, which uses the so-called situational approach to effective management, I will also rely on these principles. I agree that all employees can be helped and educated in a proper way to achieve the major organizational goals. Moreover, as a manager, I will choose the appropriate leadership style which will respond to the needs of the organization’s constituency, including organizational culture and code of conduct. In addition, it has been found that management concepts may be changed with the “advent of new beliefs, codes of practice, reliance on each other” (Sofroniou 11).

It is known that leaders have different qualities, but they share some common characteristics which include empathy, self-awareness, and objectivity. I will use these concepts in the future to guide my self-direction effort and succeed in business career. For example, as a manager of a business organization, I will motivate my employees to perform their duties in a proper way in order to achieve the major organizational goals. Empathy will help me to imagine myself in someone else’s position and make decisions based on moral and ethical principles of human behavior. Self-awareness will give me an opportunity “to compare leaders’ self-ratings of behavior and the ratings of behavior observed by superiors, peers, subordinates and others” (Bass & Bass 184). In order to improve my self-awareness, I will pay more attention to the colleagues’ feedback. Objectivity will allow me to look at my leadership style and make conclusions concerning its effectiveness. The theories of leadership help to better understand its nature and consequences, and the theories of management describe its governance and consequences. Transformational, situational, motivational and other leadership theories can be effectively used by managers who act as leaders.

To sum up, the terms of management and leadership are closely connected with each other. Management is focused on a set of human rules which allow individuals to interact within a group and follow the established moral and ethical norms. Leadership is focused on the influence process that assists employees to achieve the major organizational goals.