Defining Leadership
- These two definitions of leadership offer to competing, but highly popular views that are often cited
- “The art of motivating a group of people towards achieving a common goal” — Susan Ward, Leadership Definition, The Balance
- “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. President
Leadership vs. Management
- Leadership and management are often discussed as being separate and distinct elements of an organization.
- The following is one of the most referenced distinctions between the two:
Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drucker5789.jpg
“Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things”
— Peter Drucker, The Effective Executive
What Leaders Really Do*
- The most cited distinction between Leadership and Management in academic circles is the following definition from John P. Kotter:
*Based on “What Leaders Really Do” by John P. Kotter, HBR, 2001
Image Description: Definition of Leadership and Management from John P. Kotter, from the Harvard Business Review article “What Leaders Really Do” in 2001. It shows two distinct circles that are titled Leadership and Management. Leadership is therefore defined as “Set Direction,” “Align People,” “Motivate & Inspire.” Management is defined as the actions “Plan & Budget,” “Organize & Staff,” and “Control & Solve.” It is proposed that these are distinct and separate.
- Leadership is defined as being focused on creating change in the organization
- Management is defined as being focused on controlling outcomes in the organization
What Great Teams Do
- Great Teams are able to do both – create change AND control outcomes.
- When these two elements are brought together – leadership and management – the result is execution that exceeds expectations
Image Description: Image of a venn diagram showing the Leadership circle and Management circle from John Kotter’s definition of leadership overlapping. Leadership includes “Set Direction,” “Align People,” “Motivate & Inspire.” Management includes “Plan & Budget,” “Organize & Staff,” and “Control & Solve.” The overlap shows a new word added, “Execute,” implying that great teams execute using leadership and management.
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