One of the biggest questions asked in any corporate environment is, ‘What is the difference between leadership and management?’ Are they the same thing? Are they mutually exclusive? Is it possible for someone to possess both qualities?
While Leadership and management must go hand in hand, they are absolutely not the same thing – leadership is about encouraging people positively, getting them to believe in the organisations objectives and to work WITH you on achieving them, while management is about ensuring the day-to-day activities that need to be undertaken to achieve the objectives are met and that all is running as it should.
“Leaders lead by example, managers manage by command” – Vineet Nayar, Businessman and Philanthropist
So while they are different, in order for an organisation to be successful it needs both characters to succeed – leaders to inspire and motivate and managers to organise, plan and execute.
The key differences between a leader and a manager
More often than not, the duties required of a manager are likely described within an individual’s job description and come hand in hand with an important title, i.e. marketing director or ops manager. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will have the skills or compassion to be able to encourage employees to follow them and their visions.
“Management is about doing things right; leadership is about doing the right things.” – Peter Drucker
While a manager is likely to be assessed on whether they achieve their own objectives and as such may be less able to motivate and inspire due to the restrictions that are placed on them by their performance, a leader doesn’t have to. They do not need to hold a position of power or authority – they can be anyone! They are, if you like, encouraging, supporting and inspiring by their own nature with little pressure to achieve results. There is also an element of fear evoked by a manager, who by design have the ability to hire and fire, reward or discipline employees. This fact can hugely affect an employees true feeling towards a manager.
Controlling vs. inspiring
In today’s corporate culture it is often considered that managers are merely there to ‘control’ situations while leaders are there to inspire. Leaders will encourage creativity and motivate individuals to learn from mistakes while managers have a duty to keep in with company traditions, following a standard line of practice that they have been instructed to follow or achieve from those higher up in the corporate hierarchy.
Rather than considering staff as ‘just a set of skills’, leaders will likely be aware of how motivated and inspired team can accomplish a lot more and in a far more successful manner. To achieve ultimate success, an organisation needs someone in a position of ‘power’ who can both control and inspire, measuring success not just on financial return but on factors such as staff turnover and employee engagement.
When vs. why
One of the key differences between a manager and a leader is the focus on measurement and success. While managers, due to the constraints of their position within the organisation, are more likely to ask ‘when’ a task will be undertaken or a deadline met, a leader is more focused on ‘why’ it is being undertaken and encouraging employees to fulfil their requirements based on motivation and inspiration, imploring an understanding of the objective itself.
While a manager has to focus on achieving the business goal, a leader will spend time making sure that other employees understand the need and reason for it and reinforcing to the employee that their involvement within such a task is tantamount to the success of that particular activity.
Counting vs. creating
Due to a manager’s position within an organisation and the pressures put upon them to achieve their own objectives, they are much more likely to focus on the bottom line. A leader, on the other hand, will have more of a focus on creating value. From encouraging a colleague and improving that individual’s productivity through inspiration and motivation to create a positive team atmosphere and leading by example, a leader believes that to achieve financial goals in business you must make sure you look after your staff.
“Leading by example and leading by enabling people are the hallmarks of action-based leadership.” – Vineet Nayar
Can an individual be both a leader and a manager?
It is possible for an individual to be both a leader and a manager, providing they have the ability to control situations, set objectives and follow strategies to achieve them while also being a figure of inspiration, providing guidance, support and encouragement. Possessing all of these qualities is however, not always possible and it is then that the success of an organisation can be affected.
Corporate events, leadership and management
When you consider all of the different attributes held by both leaders and managers, it is fairly easy to ascertain which will be more encouraging towards using corporate events to support an organisation’s objectives. Granted, a manager may be tasked with arranging a corporate event, but whether they deliver something that will inspire and motivate employees in an attempt to increase creativity, productivity and morale is another matter entirely – not because they are boring and don’t care, but because they have a duty to put the bottom line first; that’s what makes them a good manager!
When looking at the positive effects that a team building day can have on employees, there is a distinct line between making someone do something because they have to and doing something that inspires them to think outside the box and go that extra mile.
In order to plan and execute a successful corporate event or team building exercise, a good manager needs to consider the importance of delivering an activity that will drive those involved to leave the event with a fresh set of ideas, with a new motivation to achieve their own personal and team objectives and improved communication skills.
Related article: What are corporate events and how can they help your business?
How Britannia Events can help
Our team of specialist corporate event managers know how important it is to ensure that your team building day is beneficial to everyone involved and will work tirelessly to ensure that you walk away with a fresh set of eyes, enhanced morale and improved productivity.
Sailing is a brilliant way to build a strong team, where clear communication, creativity, trust and planning are all required to ensure that high performance is achieved and where working as a team really does provide the greatest results. The crew will be required to react to stressful situations, where thinking and consulting with fellow employees on the spot can be the difference between sailing your yacht to victory or not.
Respect between peers can be developed and where necessary, a sailing event can provide a great space for staff to regroup and reassess, displaying strengths and weaknesses that can assist management in personal development planning and strategy. In addition, a day on the water at an industry regatta can be the ultimate reward for employees and client groups, where providing first class hospitality is the number one objective.
Find out more
A corporate sailing day with Britannia is suitable for groups from 4 – 400 people, regardless of previous experience and open to companies and teams from all industries – from the legal sector to the building trade. We spend a lot of our time ensuring that our corporate events are steered to those taking part, meeting organisers objectives and goals and providing a fun filled experience that will benefit all of those involved.
Related article: The Legal Cup – the UK’s number one legal industry regatta
“Excellent way to entertain clients and different from the usual dinners/golf days. Plenty of interactive fun and participants can be as active as they wish. Have done a sailing day annually for a few years now and it never fails to put smiles on faces.
“The team are Britannia are meticulous in their approach and organisation of the day, very professional and courteous.” – Jo Clarke, 2019 Britannia customer
Here at Britannia, we have a range of corporate sailing days and regattas available to help you achieve your corporate event objectives, whether you are looking to motivate, reward, say thank you or inspire, all of our events can be fully customised to meet your requirements and are suitable for complete beginners to experienced yachtsman.
If you would like to find out more about our corporate sailing events, give our team a call today on 02380 458900 or email info@britanniaevents.co.uk
