Analysis of Leadership

Leadership vs. Management  

Leadership and management are both valuable competencies to an organization. They share similarities between them, but they are different.

Similarities:

Leaders and managers, both of whom aim to improve the organization, and are capable of working towards achieving the objectives. They guide their teams in the right direction to achieve the goals, and maintain by evaluation. They know the strengths and weaknesses of team members and how to handle conflicts within the team (Guardian, 2021).

Differences:

Managers give team members instructions, provide them with resources, and delegate tasks. They are also responsible to ensure that instructions and orders are followed by team members.

Managers entail organizing, analyzing team workflows; controlling and maintaining their performance, as well as providing feedback.

Leaders set expectations, and act as a role model (BFA, 2021). They influence and motivate team members and encourage them to contribute toward the common goal. They are often inspiring, helping others overcome barriers at work and figuring out ways to solve problems.

Leaders think about the needs and interests of the company, and they set goals that benefit both the company and its employees.

Leadership Styles

Psychologist Kurt Lewin developed his framework in the 1930s, it provided the foundation of many of the approaches that followed afterwards (Lindberg, 2021). This theory is one of the earliest, but still commonly cited today. It generally introduced three main types of leadership:

Autocratic leadership, the leader gives clear instruction and expectations to subordinates, focus on command and control, and also holds the decision-making power.

Democratic Leadership, the leaders are open to different opinions, give guidance to the team and will also participate in the group work, they also encourage the members to participate in the decision-making process. Even under some circumstances, this leadership style could work a bit slow, but still recognized to be the most effective one. Laissez-Faire Leadership provides the team freedom to work independently with limited guidance and make decisions independently. This style is likely to work well with a team that is highly skilled, experienced and self-motivated. But the lack of direction and the confusion created during work could reduce productivity.

Personally, I would say Democratic is the best appropriate leadership style that would work in most industries. However, by considering all team members’ characteristics and capabilities, a combination of leadership may be a better choice. I would prefer a leader who embodies more democratic values and has a little laissez-faire attitude.

Team members would benefit and learn from leaders who participated and contributed to the group work. With a little direction, collaboration among different voices and problem solving, productivity could be guaranteed. 

Leaders can let teams work and make decisions more on their own when the group is mature enough. In this way, team members may be able to take on more responsibility and have a chance to grow.

 

Leaders in the industry:  

Bill Gates’s leadership style is more democratic. He believes in the value of input from his employees for overall company success (Agrawal, 2016). Bill Gates has a sense of innovation and inspiration, he believed enthusiastic and hardworking attitude would drive the success of the company. By delegating tasks to the team members, he was able to fully exploit the abilities of each member of his team and utilize them effectively.

Steve Jobs is more on the side of autocratic leadership styles. He has strong leadership skills but rarely collects input from subordinates and he is the one to make decisions. He was seen as demanding on his team members and more of a dictator than an actual leader (Agrawal, 2016). Steve Jobsis is a good motivator, he knows how to motivate people and get them to be passionate, and work towards the objective with a positive attitude. 

Recommendation and Conclusion 

For a company to achieve success, both managers and leaders must be involved and work together closely toward the common objectives. It should have management that is able to organize, and coordinate the work of its staff, and leaders who can motivate them to achieve their maximum potential.

There are a number of different leadership styles, there is no superior or inferior. Leadership styles can vary by industries, companies and even teams, it cannot be standardized. A good leader will find him or herself shifting between styles according to the people and work they are dealing with (Allen, 2018).  It is essential for leaders to understand their team members, including characteristics and level of knowledge and skills, to then implement the appropriate leadership style. 

 

References

 

Agrawal, A. (2016). Jobs or Gates: Differences in Leadership. https://www.inc.com/aj-agrawal/jobs-or-gates-differences-in-leadership.html

Allen, T. (2018). What Is The Difference Between Management And Leadership?  https://www.forbes.com/sites/terinaallen/2018/10/09/what-is-the-difference-between-management-and-leadership/?sh=335b57e674d6

Business Finance Articles. (2021). Similarities Between Leadership and Management. https://businessfinancearticles.org/similarities-between-leadership-and-management

Guardian. (2021). Management And Leadership (Similarities). https://www.zambianguardian.com/management-and-leadership/

Kurt, L. (1939). Patterns of Aggressive behavior in experimentally created social climates. Journal of Social Psychology, 10:2 (1939:May) https://tu-dresden.de/mn/psychologie/ipep/lehrlern/ressourcen/dateien/lehre/lehramt/lehrveranstaltungen/Lehrer_Schueler_Interaktion_SS_2011/Lewin_1939_original.pdf?lang=en

Leadership & performance partners. (2019). Lewin’s Leadership Theory Explained. https://leadershipandperformance.com.au/leadership-development/lewins-leadership-theory-explained/

Lindberg, C. (2021). Kurt Lewin Leadership Styles. https://www.leadershipahoy.com/kurt-lewin-leadership-styles/

Nayar, V. (2013). Three Differences Between Managers and Leaders.  https://hbr.org/2013/08/tests-of-a-leadership-transiti