Run Away from anyone who tell you Management is Bad, and Leadership is Good.
Few things annoy me - a senior manager who manages dozens of other managers - as much as the memes, articles, or even training material that list Management on one side and Leadership on the other side, pointing out why being a Leader is better.
You may have seen these kinds of comparisons before. A manager demands, uses people, takes credit, and blames others. A leader empowers, develop people, gives credit, and accepts blames. Basically, a manager is bad and disgusting; whilst a leader is good and inspiring.
Such comparisons are terrible because they are, in fact, comparing BAD managers versus GOOD managers. And they create great harm by undermining the importance of management skills.
The true differences between management and leadership are about the focus / perspective, and certainly NOT about good versus bad. It is about Relationship versus Results, Inspiring versus Organizing, the Future versus the Present, Setting a vision versus Realizing such vision, using the Heart versus using the Head, etc.
Management and Leadership are different, but not as Evil versus Good - instead, they are like Yin and Yang - they blend, they coexist, they complement each other, they contain each other.
If you only “lead”, there will be no results. If you only “manage”, people will leave.
All good managers (or leaders) must learn, improve, and use both sets of skills and mindsets. Only then, can they deliver both two things defining good Managers: Bring Results and Retain People.
