Unit 1 Learning Activity 4: Blog Post 2 – Management v. Leadership

In his book Leadership (2019) Peter Northouse introduces these concepts of assigned and emergent leaders. Assigned leadership means that you’re holding a position of leadership within the organization (Northouse, 2019, p. 8) When others perceive an individual as the most influential member of as group or an organization, regardless of the individual’s title, the person is exhibiting emergent leadership (Northouse, 2019, p.9). I believe that this is a necessary distinction because it removes this sense that position means absolute power. There could be leaders among us that do not have an assigned leadership position – we can all be leaders regardless of your position in a company.

This past year was a big year for our Church and for me as a leader. One thing that I need to say right out of the gate is that my wife and I are a team. We were asked if a group of individuals who were higher up in the organization could use our building as a place to teach individuals a new initiative for the organization in Canada. Of course we said “OK” but we also asked if we could bring some of our own people along to this training. They agreed. Long story short, they loved what my wife and I were able to do with this group of people that they wanted us to be the example “group” of how to do this initiative right. We were then asked to speak in front of all the positional leaders of The Salvation Army in Canada, talking about how we used this initiative and little tweaks we made to it to make it work for our context. Long story short, they want us to write a manual for how to run this program effectively in the Canadian context. I believe that both my wife and I were emergent leaders during this time.

We were not manager here, but leaders. Management was created as a way to reduce chaos in organizations, to make them run more effectively and efficiently, with the primary functions of planning, organizing, staffing, and controlling (Northouse, 2019,p. 12). However, leaders establish direction through creating a vision and looking at the big picture. They align people by setting strategies, communicating goals, seeking commitment, inspiring, and empowering (Northouse, 2019, p. 13). Both managers and leaders are essential for an organization to prosper. As Northouse says, “Although there are clear differences between management and leadership, the two constructs overlap” (p. 14).

Question: What has your experience been like working with both leaders and managers? While understanding that this is a leadership course, do you have a preference in your personal working style – manager or leader?

Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: theory and practice (Eighth ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.