There is a lot of research and discussion on Leadership vs Management. In schools, components of both are needed for any school to thrive and be successful. However, with increasing demands on our administrators, many feel they cannot get to the Leadership side of things since the managerial tasks dominate our day. 

The major difference I tend to see in Leadership and Management is that Leadership is people-oriented which requires a focus on interpersonal skills, while Management is task-oriented which requires technical/knowledge skills. Obviously there is an overlap here, since in order to lead people well, you need to have some technical skills in that area, and the same is true that managers benefit greatly from interpersonal skills. As such, these tend to be more of a Venn Diagram than two discrete ideas.

There is another component beyond the actual day-to-day tasks as well to all this, and that is one of mindset. For Managers, they are typically concerned with running the ship, keeping it afloat, looking after crew, etc. For Leaders, they do these things, but they also chart the course. They inspire others to follow and build them up rather than simply manage people and tasks. 

Managers are in charge by virtue of their position, they were hired or appointed to it and so those who are working under them have no choice but to heed their direction. By contrast, Leadership has authority because people choose or want to follow them. Again, much as before there can be a great deal of overlap here. 

The difference in mindset however can have a great deal of impact on how you conduct yourself. Managers may give direction and expect it to be followed regardless of how they act or treat others. Managers are likely to replicate themselves in terms of succession, you want a manager who will do what other managers do. This can be difficult though since if someone is showing to be a better manager, they may be promoted instead of you, as such, there is a vested interest in ensuring that no one rises too high since authority comes from position.

Leaders on the other hand, realize that Leadership is a position of service, whereby we play a role in helping to bind together those that follow towards a common purpose. Leaders ought to help create more leaders. This is not building more in our image, but rather empowering them to be leaders in their own right. All too often we tend to confuse ‘Leadership’ with being a ‘good follower’. Think about students in a classroom. We tend to think of the leaders in the room as being those students who perform well and do as they are told. Obedience to the expectations is not necessarily the characteristics of a leader. Students who may be a class clown and take others off task is actually displaying more Leadership since they are getting people to follow. While this is not Leadership aligned with our values, to say they aren’t leaders is not correct.

So which mindset do you feel you have throughout your day-to-day? As mentioned, both Leadership and Management are needed to successfully run a school, but as a reflective practice it is good to step back and look at where you are spending your time. At its core, Management tends to be more about task completion while Leadership is more of a process. Empowering others to lead can actually help with the Management of tasks, you just have to be willing to let others step up, take the reins and lead in their own right. As such, you may be much better served to think of Leadership and Management as being complementary practices, rather than opposing ones. It’s not about trying to do more, but trying to maximize your efforts to yield a greater impact. By making this shift in your thinking, you will begin to make shifts in actions, which can help your school to truly thrive.