THE TOOLKIT
Management vs. Leadership

One of the most common mistakes people make is putting managers and leaders into the same bucket. They are in fact two completely different roles which require completely different expectations, competencies, and behaviors. Take a look at each word’s origin and original definition.

MANAGE

ORIGIN	ROOT	DEFINITION
Latin	manus	hand
Italian	maneggiare / maneggio	to train (a horse) in his paces, to control, to guide
French	manege	the handling or training of a horse

The word manage has also served as a root for many modern English terms as well. It is the root for maneuver, manipulate, mandate, and mandatory. What is the visual impression you get when using these terms? Now take a look at the root of leadership, “lead.”

LEAD

ORIGIN	ROOT	DEFINITION
Middle English	leden	to lead
Anglo Saxon	lidhan	to go, glide on

From the beginning, these two terms have been used with opposite intent.Further proof of this is found in a study published in James Kouzes and Barry Posner’s book, The Leadership Challenge, which states that people are looking for a different set of characteristics between these two roles.In a comprehensive survey of over 40 countries and thousands of respondents, the most desirable characteristics of a leader are listed below.We’ve compared them to the most desirable characteristics of a manager.Which set of characteristics do you consciously display every day?

MANAGERS		LEADERS
Analytical Structured Controlled Organized		Honest Visionary Inspirational Competent