Q. what is the difference between a leader and a manager?

In the library world we would refer to this question as being a bit “squishy,” i.e. any definition we find is going to be influenced by opinion. Here are two, one from the leadership world & one from the management world.

“If management has a relatively strong emphasis on the task, leadership appears to be about the choice of direction and the generation of enthusiasm for the task and facilitating further socio-emotional dimensions. For Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus, the problem with many organizations is that they tend to be overmanaged and underled. They may excel in the ability to handle the daily routine, but never question whether the routine should be done at all. “To manage” means “to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge for conduct” (task-orientation), while” leadership” is “influencing, guiding in direction, course, action, opinion” (social-emotional orientation).”

Kupers, W. M. (2004). Socio-emotional leadership. In G. R. Goethals, G. J. Sorenson, & J.

            MacGregor Burns (Eds.), Encyclopedia of leadership (Vol. 4, pp. 1468-1472). Thousand

            Oaks, CA: Sage.

“Leadership should be distinguished from management. Management involves planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling, and a manager is someone who performs these functions. A manager has formal authority by virtue of his or her position or office. Leadership, by contrast, primarily deals with influence. A leader’s ability to influence others may be based on a variety of factors other than his or her formal authority or position­­­.”

Barnett, T. (2006). Leadership theories and studies. In M. Helms (Ed.), Encyclopedia of

            management (pp. 445-450). Detroit: Thompson Gale.