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
I agree with your notion that mangers doing things right and leaders doing the right thing is overly simplistic. People are far more complicated and the way that they lead and manage is not so basic. It makes sense that a good manager would also be a good leader. In your experience with leaders and managers, have you come upon people who are better at one than the other? It seems like we may have an ideal for what a leader and manager should be but this isn’t always how it works out.
Right! It’s so easy to create an idealistic view. I have had managers who excel at examining the overall picture, but struggled to communicate to employees about how to arrive at the desired goal. Sometimes, the goal wasn’t even clear! I’ve also had wonderful managers who served as leaders. One principal, in particular, was a natural; she applied what she knew about leadership, and it showed. Employees believed in her vision and followed her. I remember her now and look to her for as example to follow.
“Leaders command power based on their personal attributes and have power as well as a vision that their followers accept”(Moran & Morner, 2018, p. 335 & 337). Powerful statements used by the authors and is so obvious in our society today. As we look at how some companies are flourishing even in a pandemic, we have to look at the leadership. They have the vision to lead their workers through a challenging situation. We have leaders in libraries who are able to keep their staff working because they have a vision of how to use their libraries to do the right thing for their communities and their staff follow their lead.
Yes! Vision is so important. I thinking leadership requires more creativity than management. When people believe in a vision, there is increased productivity. I also believe it encourages individual followers to seek out solutions and to question what they can do to make things better and follow the vision.
I am so glad some libraries are functioning and providing light during this time.
You are absolutely right in that theory and reality are seldom the same! And when leaders…or managers…get it wrong, the entire organization pays the price, whether it’s in the bottom line, productivity, or employee satisfaction. One staggering difference my dad points out between his generation and mine is the lack of company loyalty “kids these days have”, and while I know there are many valid reasons “we” change jobs, leadership is certainly a factor. I found it interesting that this week’s reading included a reference to Fobazi Ettarh’s concept of “vocational awe”, as we also considered this idea in our 608 Foundations class. Thinking about it from a leadership perspective, however, really made me consider how detrimental and exhausting it can be for a person or an institution to live up to an imposed standard that “some or all core aspects of the profession are beyond critique” (Farkas, 2017). How does a manager or someone in a leadership position begin to dismantle the “awe” associated with library institutions while convincing the community and stakeholders that voluntarily stepping down from a pedestal is the “right thing to do”?
Farkas, M. (2017). Less is not more. American Libraries. Retrieved January 24, 2021 from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2017/11/01/resilience-less-is-not-more/.
This is a very important question. There must be a careful balance between personal boundaries and community and stakeholder expectations. Acknowledging when demands have become unreasonable is certainly part of being a strong, balanced person. An open dialog and transparency between all stakeholders may be a good starting place.
I think your distinction between managers and leaders is interesting because of the distribution of power: managers are given their power, but leaders must earn it from their followers. I also appreciated your points about how the best managers lead and how someone can do things right and do the right thing at the same time.
You mentioned that we can learn from the managers we meet who are leaders, what do you think is the most important thing we can learn from them?
Also, what do you think needs to happen for us to get more managers who lead? Is this something that happens over time or is this something that can be actively taught and studied?
Moran and Morner (2018) identify the five functions of management as planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling (pp. 11-12). Managers who can balance managing and leading, as well as these other roles, are able to evaluate and prioritize. I look to managers with this ability to see how they synthesize different situations.
Moran and Morner (2018) also write that “most people can develop their aptitude for leadership” (p. 353). Successful leaders can take learned skills and apply them in a leadership setting. This does, however, require practice. Increasing opportunities for leadership roles allows the concept to not only be taught and studied, but practiced.
Moran, B.B., & Morner, C.J. (2018). Library and information center management (9th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.