Email to Coworker

Hello Tracy,

Your email raised a great question. What is the difference between management and leadership? Here is how I view the two.

Management vs. Leadership

The concepts of management and leadership have both similarities and differences. Most organizations, including this public health department, have both. In some cases, your manager will be an effective leader, and in other cases, you may find that the manager has no leadership skills. An ideal work environment would have leaders, managers, and managers that are also leaders. Determining the best combination is an essential concept needed in order to maintain a cost-effective business model while keeping employee morale is high and productivity constant.

Defining Management and Leadership

Management is people and processes that keep an organization functioning. Management deals with planning, budgeting, staffing, measuring performance, and problem-solving when results did not go to plan. Leadership is about inspiring people to work towards a single vision or goal. It involves effective communication and listening skills, motivation, and inspiration. The biggest difference between a manager and a leader is in the way they motivate others. Managers are administers that focus on systems and doing things right. Managers have subordinates. Leaders foster innovation, focus on people, and do the right thing (Bennis, W., 2003). Leaders have followers.

The Need for Both Leaders and Managers

Management and leadership skills complement each other. Even though, they are not exactly the same thing, they are linked. For this public health department to run efficiently and effectively, we need managers and leaders, as well as some individuals that are both. In today’s society with today’s economy, people are being asked to do more with less. Employees want to their managers, not only to assign them a task, but to also define for them a purpose. Managers must place and arrange workers, to maximize...