Most of the time I really got confused of what is the role of a manager and a leader? Because more often they do have the same job or task. In an organization the leaders and managers are always the frontrunners o f the group. They are the ones who deal with the clients and attend on meetings. You can easily recognize them from normal employees because of their appearance and characters. They are more sophisticated, charismatic and bubbly. And because job they usually got the biggest attention from the higher administration they easily gets the higher incentives that results to a stable finances. These are my observations in the real world but of course we to define the difference between management and leadership to put things in the right perspectives.
Managers have subordinates although a manager is a subordinate of another boss. He is working style is transactional, meaning he always gives out structures on what are the things that needs to be done and to assign people in doing the job. The type motivation in this scheme is reward and punishment so that the subordinates will set a target in finishing the task within a deadline with the right output. Most manages always puts the blames on their subordinate because he already assigned a job to them. On a positive note, a good manager always gives stable objectives and be optimistic on everything the he do.
A leader on the other hand must have followers to test your leadership skills. Unlike managers in order to be put on that position, a person must surpass everybody’s expectation to be acknowledged and be rewarded. In the case of the leaders they must enthusiasm and charisma so that people will follow them. The type of style of leaders is transformational which means that by putting the right amount of energy and charisma plus setting the right example you will become a tool for the future followers towards their success. The hardest thing of being a leader is to access one’s self if he is a leader or just a follower? Because not everyone is born a leader but everyone has a potential.
There are people or shall I say a lot of people have both management and leadership skills because they need to get the characteristics of both for us to be an effective individual. Here are the table of comparison of what a manager and leader should be according to http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/articles/manager_leader.htm..
| Subject | Leader | Manager |
| Essence | Change | Stability |
| Focus | Leading people | Managing work |
| Have | Followers | Subordinates |
| Horizon | Long-term | Short-term |
| Seeks | Vision | Objectives |
| Approach | Sets direction | Plans detail |
| Decision | Facilitates | Makes |
| Power | Personal charisma | Formal authority |
| Appeal to | Heart | Head |
| Energy | Passion | Control |
| Culture | Shapes | Enacts |
| Dynamic | Proactive | Reactive |
| Persuasion | Sell | Tell |
| Style | Transformational | Transactional |
| Exchange | Excitement for work | Money for work |
| Likes | Striving | Action |
| Wants | Achievement | Results |
| Risk | Takes | Minimizes |
| Rules | Breaks | Makes |
| Conflict | Uses | Avoids |
| Direction | New roads | Existing roads |
| Truth | Seeks | Establishes |
| Concern | What is right | Being right |
| Credit | Gives | Takes |
| Blame | Takes | Blames |
Management and Leadership in the Industry and Academe
I consider myself to experience both life working in the industry and in the academe and guess what? I observe a lot of differences with regards to our subject matter. Teachers are leaders because with the way they project themselves in front of the class will somehow give an idea to their students on what they want and need to do in the futures but I also believe that teachers are mangers to because they need to give structure and task to their students for them to be rewarded or punished. Let us use the 8 quick steps of becoming a good manager according to http://workawesome.com/management/how-to-be-a-good-manager-8-quick-tips/ to compare the management skills of the industry and the academe.
1. Do Your Job
This is the most basic thing to do in running an organization which is to know on how to mind your own business. As a manager in the industry you must know how to use the potential of your team members by distributing the job well but one of the problems that i observed is that some managers tends to give all the responsibilities to their subordinates and escape by attending out of town meetings and in the end gains all the appreciation. On the other hand it is easier to assign a job to the academe because of the organizational structure but the again abuse power may also exist. Older faculty members gives all extracurricular activities to the younger generations although it is a very good training for them but they all get the burden of creating magic to an event but gets low criticism at the end. People in the academe can sometimes be abusive for talented faculty members, they rely on your ideas and suggestions without even trying to lay out their own views.
2. Acknowledge The Positive
The manger in the industry does not always gives Kudos to their subordinates for the simplest reason that your are just doing your job. For every task that you finished is equivalent to your hard earned salary unless there are extra incentives at stake. The academe always gives appreciation on any achievements that you accomplished which is very because there is no amount of money that could compare to heart warming acknowledgement from your colleagues. It is a driving element that fuels you to be great or extra ordinary on yur next endeavour.
3. Be Vulnerable
What i appreciate in the industry is that your mistake has its corresponding sanction but the good thing is that you become a better manager once you surpass that stage. Everyone is encourage to commit mistakes knowing that you need to suffer some consequences that will make you stronger. In the academe, there is no room for mistakes because most teachers are having a hard time that they do commit one. Your imperfections transform you to being human. It’s ok to sometimes get stumble for as long you know how to deliver solutions to that act. We need not be hypocrites for your students to respect us, we just need to be aware of our actions and be responsible.
4. Be Real With People
This is what i admired with the academe because they are all concern with the issues of their colleagues and students. You seldom hear them saying “work before you complaint”. Since the industry is more concern with targets and client feedbacks, subordinates are forced to deliver no matter what their condition is.
5. Lead By Example
This is more practiced by the academe that is why if a teachers came from an institution that tolerates, so relax, does work around more often and very abusive then it will be very hard for him to change in doing the right thing. Students are also the end product on how the people in the academe acted. They may not do the same thing but they do have valid opinions to say.
6. Be Self Aware
It’s a cliché to say to always do temperature check whenever you go to work to set the mood right. All of us have issues in life and not all people have the capability to not bring their outside of work problems to the workplace. Managers must always be dependable because the subordinates need their assistance. Just like teachers, students needs answers and opinions from hem that is why a smile should be always be the front answer.
7. Have Fun
Being merry adds up to the energy and morale boost in an organization that is why team buildings are give priority to have a chance to loosen up and be relaxed. Both the industry and the academe are doing this to avoid stress.
8. Trust Yourself
A manager must always trust himself because he was given that positin because of his performance and experience. Teachers were also given equally amount of trainings to be able to deliver what they got.
Now let’s see how we can compare the leadership skills in the industry and academe through the ways of Martin Luther King. http://www.leadersdirect.com/are-there-born-leaders
1. A spirit of adventure
Educators must always have the ability to reinvent the common and boring traditions in teaching. He should not be afraid in taking risk just for the betterment of the learning process. Most educators have this attitude of sticking of what only fits their way without further researching on what is the trend and most efficient. In that way the students will also feel that they are left behind by other institutions.
2. An ability to influence
One of the crucial matters in becoming a leader is on we can touch lives to other people. Because we believe that our students can easily follow rules and instructions we sometimes forgot the hands-on approach to some subjects. It is very important to make our students feel that we know what we are preaching. In that manner they will have that confidence to approach us when needed.
3. Something you think is worth saying, to improve the world around you.
4. The courage to speak out and the willingness to risk group rejection.
5. It doesn't require a drive to dominate people, only a desire to differentiate yourself, to make your mark.
