Bennis and Nanus (1985) wrote, “Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing” (p. 21). “Doing things right” implies achieving a targeted outcome of a project or task. “Doing the right thing,” however, speaks more to the process involved to arrive at the outcome; it insinuates the application of ethics and empathy. This subtle difference in semantics is nevertheless important.
Although managers and leaders seem similar on a superficial level, the differences between the two are distinctive and important. Managers are placed in their position; they are fulfilling a specific job. Power is part of their job description. Leaders, meanwhile, “command it based on their personal attributes” (Moran & Morner, 2018, p. 335). Leaders have power as well as a vision that their followers accept (Moran & Morner, 2018, p. 337). Ryan (2016) asserts that “leadership has very little to do with controlling, budgeting . . . with assigning work and evaluating it” (para. 3). These distinctions set one role apart from the other.
In theory, managers will do things right and leaders will do the right thing. This overly-simplistic view, however, omits an unfortunate reality; sometimes managers do not do things right, and toxic leaders exist. These leaders are able “to manipulate others to further their own advancement” (Moran & Morner, 2018, p. 339). Farkas (2017) stresses the importance of identifying “organizational factors that might lead to burnout and for managers to protect their employees’ time” (para. 7). It is clear that sometimes management and leadership are not ideal. Mismanagement and weak leadership produce poor results and lower team morale. However, doing things right and doing the right thing are not mutually exclusive, nor should they be.
I have worked many jobs and found a range of managers and leaders. The best managers don’t just manage – they lead. They simultaneously do things right and do the right thing. Similarly, a great leader is able to adapt to varying situations and colleagues. These people are able to evaluate and adjust to a given situation to achieve the greatest outcome in regards to both people and projects. This can be a harder task than doing just one or the other, and these people tend to hold themselves to a higher standard. These people, when found, are those from whom we can all learn.
References
Bennis, W.G., & Nanus, B. (1985). Leaders: The strategies for taking charge. New York: Harper & Row.
Farkas, M. (2017, November 1). Less is Not More. American Libraries. Retrieved from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2017/11/01/resilience-less-is-not-more/
Moran, B.B., & Morner, C.J. (2018). Library and information center management (9th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Ryan, L. (2016, March 28). Management vs. leadership: Five ways they are different. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2016/03/27/management-vs-leadership-five-ways-they-are-different