Thoughts on Leadership and Management

It's been a while since I've posted anything, and unlike my wife I got no phone calls asking me if I was ok, so it must be fine with everybody that I focused on my schooling in my free time. Anyway, here are some thoughts on leadership versus management: It is possible to be a leader without being a manager and, unfortunately, it is possible to be a manager without being a leader. The difference between leadership and management lies in what they do.

• Leadership is about taking people or organizations places and management is about handling things (literally mana = hand, anyway). Management is necessary for good leadership because it is what makes possible the execution of the things that move the people or organization forward. In other words, leaders create vision and managers apply it. It could be said that leadership is the process of pointing the direction and management is the process of taking care of the details to arrive at the destination. Jesus challenged His followers to be leaders and not simply administrators with the parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:21-30). He expected leadership (vision to see the possibilities of what to do with the talent) and management (the ability to carry the vision out successfully) to be combined from those given the Talents in His story, but one of the servants thought that he could be safe by simply managing or maintaining the asset he was given and was called wicked for doing so.

• Management many times requires a title, but leadership can be done without titles. Leadership can be exerted whether or not there is a title or a managerial position, like David: Even when he was out in the wilderness escaping from Saul and without any earthly authority or title, people came and followed him (1 Samuel 22:1-2). He didn't get the title of king until long after they began following him. On the other side of that there are people wanting the title, or management position, but are not leading people anywhere. Solomon's son Rehoboam, who was not much of a leader, had a title but was led by his group of friends (1 Kings 12:8-11).

So be encouraged and press on to be the leader that God has called you to be, in whatever area of life you are in! If that means learning to manage better then go for it! If it means being willing to lead without a title or formal recognition for the greater good then go for it!

We're all learning here! Let's not be like the wicked servant or like Rehoboam!