Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal. As for management, it involves the coordination and administration of tasks to achieve a goal. While the distinction between the two aspects may not be apparent, they have a significant difference especially when it comes to their practicality. Paul Rwakahungu, a Compliance officer shares that with leadership, a person is required to influence and motivate his or her subordinates in regards to achieving the organisation’s success. As for management, it is more about controlling and supervising your attendants in order to accomplish a certain goal, he explains. “A leader is the one responsible for choosing a destination and steering his subordinates to the desired direction, a manager on the other hand, is the one who shares and controls the details of how to get from one point to another,” he adds. Career specialists describe leaders simply as those who have people that follow them, while managers have people who simply work for them. The two aspects work hand in hand, for without leadership, employees would find it hard to find direction and hence will not have a vision. Yet without management on the other hand, there would be lack of action or required steps towards the completion of the set goals needed to achieve the organisation’s vision. Joyeuse Uwamwiza, a production manager, says for one to be able to differentiate these two aspects, they need to know that leadership is about inspiring whereas management is more about the planning process. “Managers for example are the ones who tell people what to do, they share ideas and give direction. As for leaders, they impart influence unto people, ask questions and show what needs to be done,” she says. It’s the leaders to direct the company’s undertakings for instance while the manager necessitates for people to operate efficiently. A managerial culture is said to emphasise control and shrewdness, with a focus directed toward goals and the organisational structure to achieve this. Leadership enforces clarity for its role mainly is to check in to make sure everyone is aligned and on the right track. Both leadership and management are critical for business success. They are said to be important to have at every organisation hence companies shouldn’t ignore the prospect of promoting both aspects among their teams.
