Management and Leadership

In this weeks assignment we have to differentiate between management and leadership, but in order for me to do that, I first have to define each word. Leadership, according to Websters.com is derived from the word "lead" which means to guide on a way especially by going in advance. Management which comes from the word "manage" means to handle or direct with a degree of skill. My guess the difference between the two is; a leader has already gone "through the fire". A leader can be anyone, it could be your peer, but they might take the initiative to get things done. A manager or someone in management is there to instruct and guide the situation to make sure the job gets done. Someone in management is not the type to get their hands dirty.

There are 8 traits of a healthy organizational culture.

1. Openness and humility from top to bottom of the organization.

2. An environment of accountability and personal responsibility.

3. Freedom for risk taking within appropriate limits.

4. A fierce commitment to "do it right"

5. A willingness to tolerate and learn from mistakes.

6. Unquestioned integrity and consistency

7. A pursuit of collaboration, integration, and holistic thinking.

8. Courage and persistence in the face of difficulty.

(Fostering a Sharp Customer Focus, Fraterman, 2003, pg 138)

The roles and responsibility of a leader to make sure these traits are maintained are to back up everything that is being stated above, for example the very first trait states there must be openness and humility from top to bottom of the organization. An arrogant leader is a bad leader. Any leader who thinks they are better than the people who are following them cuts off possible growth and learning potential.

My two recommendations to create and maintain a healthy organizational culture are coming from my personal experiences. What I have noticed is when a manager has an open door policy they tend to have a better relationship with their sub-ordinates. People tend to be able to speak freely without any worries of being reprimanded. Employees tend