Leadership 101

Column 2: Leadership versus management —
Either, or, both?

Laurie Scott

This series of columns addressing the topic of leadership is based on the Canadian Health Libraries Association / Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada (CHLA / ABSC) accredited course "Discover the Leader in You: Developing and Realizing your Leadership Potential", developed and delivered by D. Phelan, L. Scott, and W. Glover. Interested readers are encouraged to join the CHLA / ABSC Leadership Interest Group (http://www.chla-absc.ca/?q=en/node/217).

For many people, leadership is frequently associated with
management or administration. Indeed, as noted in a previ-
ous column, Library Literature indexes articles dealing with
leadership using subject headings for administration. It is
possible to be a competent manager without being a strong
leader, and vice versa. Some individuals are able to combine
leadership abilities with strong administrative skills. We are
fortunate indeed when we are able to work with individuals
who have these qualities. More frequently, however, individ-
uals will have strengths in one or the other camp.

Effective managers and administrators have strong organi-
zational, time management, interpersonal, and financial skills.
They may or may not supervise staff. They are adept at over-
seeing often complex and detailed tasks. One of the pioneers
of the study of leadership, Warren Bennis, summarized his
view of the difference between leaders and managers/adminis-
trators through a list of contrasting qualities and functions:

* The manager administers; the leader innovates.

* The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.

* The manager maintains; the leader develops.

* The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.

* The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.

* The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.

* The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

* The manager has his eye on the bottom line; the leader has his eye on the horizon.

* The manager imitates; the leader originates.

* The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.

* The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his own person.

* The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.<fnref n="1" />

Bennis is, perhaps, a bit hard on managers. Not all man-
agers have leadership potential, nor do all management posi-
tions require incumbents to lead. A good administrator is
worthy of respect, and there is a strong role for such individ-
uals in every organization.

So what, then, of leadership? Just as managers are not
necessarily leaders, so too, leaders may not be effective
managers. Consider the concept of a charismatic leader who
can inspire people yet can't get to a meeting on time or bal-
ance the books! Leaders are focused on the big picture and
may get bogged down when faced with details.

It is important to note that leaders are not necessarily in
positions of authority. It is possible to lead "from the
ranks"—to inspire people and influence policy without it be-
ing part of one's job description. Librarians in junior posi-
tions are often the people who come up with the most
innovative ideas. Those junior librarians who have leader-
ship qualities can make their case and carry their ideas to
fruition, to the benefit of the whole organization. Stoyko et
al. call this concept of leading without authority being an
"idea leader":

Building creative organizations requires leadership.
Leadership can be exercised at any level within an orga-
nization. An idea leader is someone who knows how to
spot a good idea and adapt it to suit the organization's
needs...An idea leader is also someone who is conscious
of how personal actions can inadvertently affect fledgling
ideas. Creativity is often destroyed by the actions of
managers who are focusing on other things.<fnref n="2" />

One leadership quality that often comes to the fore in any
discussion of how leaders differ from managers (or any non-
leader) is charisma. One might suggest that an administrator
is unlikely to be charismatic, while it would be absolutely

<footnote n="1">¹W. Bennis. Managing the dream: Leadership in the 21st century. *The Antioch Review*. 1991 Winter;49(1):22.</footnote>

<footnote n="2">²P. Stoyko, G.K. Henning, D. McCaughey. *Creativity at work: a leadership guide*. CSPS Action-Research Roundtable on Creativity. Ottawa: Canada School of Public Service; 2006 [retrieved 2008 Jun 23]. Available from: http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/collection_2008/cspscfpc/SC103-23-2006E.pdf.</footnote>
essential for a leader to have that quality. There can be little
doubt of the fact that charisma will carry an individual a
long way, regardless of whether there is substance below the
surface. The late leadership guru Peter Drucker, in one of
his final interviews, addressed the issue of charismatic lead-
ership:

You know, I was the first one to talk about leadership
50 years ago, but there is too much talk, too much em-
phasis on it today and not enough on effectiveness. The
only thing you can say about a leader is that a leader is
somebody who has followers. The most charismatic lead-
ers of the last century were called Hitler, Stalin, Mao,
and Mussolini. They were mis-leaders! Charismatic lead-
ership by itself certainly is greatly overstated. Look, one
of the most effective American presidents of the last
100 years was Harry Truman. He didn't have an ounce of
charisma. Truman was as bland as a dead mackerel. Ev-
erybody who worked for him worshiped him because he
was absolutely trustworthy. If Truman said no, it was no,
and if he said yes, it was yes. And he didn't say no to
one person and yes to the next one on the same issue.<fnref n="3" />

So, charisma is not a “must have” when it comes to being
a leader, although it can be an asset to a good leader.
Drucker makes an excellent point in highlighting the de-
structive potential of charisma in a person who would “lead”
others in evil or, in less dramatic contexts, ill-conceived
causes. Perhaps a new term, “mis-leadership” should be cre-
ated to apply to these individuals.

In the course, “Discover the Leader in You”, case studies
are used to examine the differences between management
and leadership. Consider the following example:

You are the head of a hospital library. The library advi-
sory committee is meeting and discussing the allocation
of budget resources on e-journals versus print journals.
Two of the six committee members disagree strongly.
One member feels the library should abandon print en-
tirely, citing the desire of most users to access materials
from outside the library and the need to free up space for
other purposes. The other member is equally adamant
that he needs paper copies of all the important journals
both current subscriptions and back runs for both clinical
and research purposes. The meeting is getting bogged
down in an endless debate between these two strongly
opinionated people. You are not the chair of the advisory
committee, and the chair seems unable to bring the dis-
cussion under control.

What action would you take to show leadership in resolv-
ing the dispute described? Do you think a manager would
approach it differently? If so, in what ways? Something to
ponder until the next issue!

Laurie Scott

Research and Education Services
Bracken Health Sciences Library
Queen's University
Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
E-mail: laurie.scott@queensu.ca

<footnote n="3">³R. Rich. Peter Drucker on Leadership. *Forbes.com*. 2004 November 19 [retrieved 2008 Jun 23]. Available from: [http://www.forbes.com/2004/11/19/cz_rk_1119drucker.html](http://www.forbes.com/2004/11/19/cz_rk_1119drucker.html).</footnote>