Management and Leadership

Management and Leadership

MGT/330

Management and Leadership

Managers and leaders are two very different species of persons. While managers can also be leaders, and leaders have many of the necessary qualities to become great managers, there are two completely different skill sets needed for each position. Leadership and management must go hand in hand. They are not the same thing, but they are necessarily linked, and complementary (Murray, 2011). While many organizations do not have the structure in place to create effective managers as well as nourish young leaders to become managers, I am lucky enough to be involved with an organization that strives to do just that. The United States Army has had a hand in creating some of the many great leaders in United States History such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, and George Patton. Dwight Eisenhower served as a five- star general in The Army, and later served as the 34th President of The United States. George Patton was a great American who served as a general in World War II, and is famous for his outspokenness and starting the tank division of The Army. General Patton said, “Be willing to make decisions. That's the most important quality in a good leader.” Both of these men distinguished themselves as leaders early on in their careers, and both men used that leadership to become great managers. Even though the Army is not an organization which relies on and strives to attain a profit, the training of management and grooming of leaders is just as important as it is in a billion dollar company. The United States Army is a global organization with elements spread throughout the world, which requires many different levels of management, with the President of The United States at the top of the chain of command.

There are approximately 562,400 people in the active component of The United States Army, 205,000 in the Army reserves, 358,200 in The Army National Guard, and 250,000 civilian workers who fall under The Army...