"To manage" means "to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct." "Leading", on the other hand, is "influencing, guiding in direction, course, action, opinion." The distinction is crucial. Managers are people who do things right, and leaders are people who do the right thing. The difference may be summarized as activities of vision and judgement - effectiveness, versus activities of mastering routines - efficiency. (Bennis & Nanus, 1985)

Leadership is different from management. It is not necessarily better than management, nor a replacement for it. Rather, leadership and management are two distinctive and complementary systems of action. Each has its own function and characteristic activities. Both are necessary for success in an increasingly complex and changing business environment. (Kotter, J.P. 1990)

Is leadership, then, a quality occurring naturally in all managers once they assume the managerial role, o

It would seem then, that while managerial qualities can be acquired or learned through management training, many of those of leadership tend to come as part of the person's nature or persona. In order then, to answer the question "Are managers leaders?" we can conclude that there are some managers who are leaders or have the potential to become leaders and even achieve greatness, but there are also a great many who are not and never will be. Leadership is a talent - management is a job.

Zaleznik believes there are no known ways to train 'great' leaders. Furthermore, what it takes to ensure the supply of people who will assume practical responsibility may inhibit the development of great leaders. Managers and leaders, he says, are very different kinds of people. They differ in motivation, personal history and in how they think an act. (Zaleznik, A. 1990) Can, therefore, both managerial and leadership qualities exist in the one person? Abraham Zaleznik, in his article "Managers and leaders: Are they different?" suggests that because leaders and managers are basically different types of people, the conditions favourable to the growth of one may be inimical to the other. (Zaleznik, A. 1990) However, Bennis & Nanus (1985) believe that while great leaders may be as rare as great runners, great actors or great painters, everyone has leadership potential, just as everyone has some ability at running, acting and painting. Leadership, they say, can be learned - whatever natural endowments a manager brings to the role of leadership, they can be enhanced; nurture is far more important than nature in determining who becomes a successful leader. (Bennis, W. & Nanus, B. 1985)

However, there is no simple formula, no rigorous science, no cookbook that leads inexorably to successful leadership. Instead, it is a deeply human process, full of t

Some topics in this essay:
Bennis Nanus, Kotter JP, Leaders Leaders, , Lorsch JW, De Pree, Kelley RE, Abraham Zaleznik, managers leaders, zaleznik 1990, nanus 1985, bennis nanus 1985, leaders managers, bennis nanus, et al 1978, al 1978, leadership management, managers ideal, et al, de pree, de pree 1989,