Leadership Vs Management: Understanding The Management Role

standing The Management Role

"Not one talks about managing fun and play." — Anonymous

Management focuses on work. We manage work activities such as money, time, paperwork, materials, equipment, etc. Management focus more on:

• Planning
• Organizing,
• Controlling
• Coordinating
• Directing
• Resource use
• Time management
• Logistics and the supply chain
• Finance and money management
• Budgeting
• Strategy
• Decision Making
• Problem Solving

The first five (planning, organizing, controlling, directing, and coordinating) are often listed in the management 101 texts as the major functions of management. Certain conceptual skills such as decision making, strategy development, and problem solving seem to fit better in management verses the leadership area, but you can go either way..

Some professors like to say "Managers are decision makers." but that doesn't seem quite right. A better description is, "Executives are decision makers— manager’s are problem solvers."

However, some things some things should be managed and others should not. People should not be managed—it implies we threat them like a thing.