PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project Management

Word Count: 4401

Project Management

Difference between Management and Leadership

Many people tend to think that management and leadership are similar. Good managers are not always good leaders. Managers usually can perform their management responsibilities successfully but not show that they are great leaders as well. To be able to lead effectively will allow a successful to stand out from the average ones. A manager deals with the everyday tasks of the organization such as planning, organizing, and controlling but when you are a great leader you are able to make effective changes within the workplace. Leading involves setting an example, direction and also creating a visual of the goals that must be met. Management involves organizing the structure of the company, hiring good people to complete the work, and also monitoring events and activities. Leadership keeps employees motivated to overcome obstacles and focus on building the organization towards its potential future. The typical manager tends to focus on the daily activities and short-term profits (www.prince2.com, 2012.). They usually do things as they come along. This is fine if your goal is just to manage, but if you are looking advance and reach long-term goals then you must focus on being a leader to your subordinates (Bateman).

To be a great leader and manager you cannot have one without the other. Managers must perform their tasks or else the organization can become ineffective and unorganized. Leadership on the other hand involves special processes that are distinguishable from basic management processes. Therefore, if one manager can master both roles effectively this can result in success (Bateman).

Being a great manager you must also be a great Leader. Some people are born with leadership traits while others must develop these traits to have success in management. Some leadership approaches that a manager should become familiar with are the trait approach, behavioural approach, and the situational approach. The trait approach focuses on the individual leaders and their personalities. Some traits are drive, leadership motivation, integrity, self-confidence, and knowledge of the business (www.pmi.org, 2012). The leader must also have the capability to distinguish the needs and goals of others and to change one's personal leadership approach in view of that. In the behavioural approach, personality is looked at as less significant than the behaviours that leaders demonstrate. A leader's behaviour influences people's attitudes and performance. Two important factors that must be taken into consideration when looking at the behaviour are task performance and group maintenance. Task performance is about on getting the job complete. It includes a focal point on work momentum, excellence and precision, number of output, and following set of laws (APM, 2006). Group maintenance takes action to make sure that group members are content, expand and uphold pleasant work relationships, and protect social stability of the group. The situational approach to leadership believes that leader's behaviours differ from situation to situation. Successful managers should examine the situation previous to deciding what ought to be ...