Managers and Leaders

I'm continuing to clarify and make cogent and coherent my thoughts on managers as leaders.  The current vogue is the make the two synonymous when talking about CEOs, in particular.  I believe that this is simply "spin" - the Management "brand" has been soiled, now we have the New! Improved! Fresh! Leader running our businesses.  Unfortunately this has given CEOs a false sense of their competency and contribution, allowing them to present themselves as experts in business, economics and politics.

Are managers also leaders?

Certainly there are times when managers are required to lead.  But one can only be leader of people, not a business or an asset or resource.  Generally, managers supervise people.  In the day-to-day events of a business, leadership is not required.  A managers responsibility is to ensure an organisation serves its customers; from this service benefits will flow to the other stakeholders.  To serve its customers, the people, activities and resources of the organisation must be planned, organised, directed and controlled, in some fashion.

Are leaders also managers?

Not necessarily, certainly not in a supervisory manner.  Followers can organise themselves.  The leaders responsibility is to serve the organisation's followers - its people (employees, in a business organisation).  This is a secondary responsibility of managers.

Managers following Leaders

Semco is a business where senior management have come closest to being leaders.  In Semco, the business is managed by the employees (the followers).  In most businesses, supervision rules, and leadership a mere platitude.