Leaders vs. Managers: Who would I hire?

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Recommended: Distinguish between leadership and management

One of my favorite management quotes says “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success, leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” My ideas about leadership and management have been shaped by personal experiences in both the military and private sectors. While there are good and bad leaders in both worlds, the military adds an interesting twist in the requirement to follow the orders of your chain of command and that facets of management are performed at varying steps in that chain. In the military, “leadership” is imposed as rank is earned. Conversely, in the private sector, leadership is earned or demonstrated in order to achieve “rank”. I find myself torn between these alternate views of leadership and management as I think of answers to the assigned questions.

If I were the CEO of a company, would I hire managers or leaders for my supervisory positions? My answer to this question depends on my company. As the CEO of a start-up company on the cutting edge of my market segment, I would ensure that the majority of my supervisors have the vision and skills necessary to ensure success and future growth opportunities. However, not all functions of the business would require a high level of forward thinking so having managers would also be important. As the book states, having leaders with an entrepreneurial view of the world would be an asset during the development phase of the business but they could become overwhelmed by bureaucracy as the business matures. I think it is important to note that “leading” is listed as one of the 8 identifiable functions of managers. From a military perspective, as an admiral, I would expect my senior officers to be leaders with an eye on t...

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... also results in higher efficiency.

Works Cited

Babcock-Roberson, M., & Strickland, O. (2010). The Relationship Between Charismatic Leadership, Work Engagement, and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors. Journal of Psychology, 144(3), 313-326. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Covey, S. (1990). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Fireside.

Kreitner R. (2009). Management. Canada: Houghton Mifflin Hardcourt.

Sterry, T., Reiter-Purtill, J., Gartstein, M., Gerhardt, C., Vannatta, K., & Noll, R. (2010). Temperament and Peer Acceptance: The Mediating Role of Social Behavior. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 56(2), 189-219. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Zweig, D. (2010). The Board That Couldn’t Think Straight. Conference Board Review v. 47 no. 1 (Winter 2010) p. 40-7. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

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