Leadership and management

Leadership can be best defined by a contrast with management. Takala (1998) says, "Managers allocate resources for the benefit of an institution. In essence, all employees perform this action in one capacity or another. "Leadership on the other hand, focuses on the creation of a common vision. It means motivating people to contribute to the vision…It means persuading, not commanding" (Weathersby, 1999, p. 5).

"There is a profound difference between management and leadership, and both are important. To manage means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct. Leading is influencing, guiding in a direction, course, action, opinion. The distinction is crucial." (Warren Bennis)

Corollary by Bob Sutton: "To do the right thing, a leader needs to understand what it takes to do things right, and to make sure they actually get done."