Management | Origin: LS101R
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Do You Manage Or Lead? --> Management
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
From this topic, I learned that management and leadership are closely connected but serve different purposes. Management focuses on structure, organization, and getting work done through planning, setting goals, and ensuring tasks are completed correctly. Leadership, however, centers more on people by motivating, influencing, and helping others understand the purpose behind their work. A major takeaway for me is that being an effective manager requires leadership skills as well, since simply directing tasks is not enough to keep people engaged or motivated.
I plan to apply this by improving how I communicate expectations and decisions. Instead of only focusing on what needs to be done, I want to clearly explain why certain tasks or changes matter and how they support larger goals. I also want to listen more actively to team members, recognize their efforts, and be open to their feedback so they feel valued rather than just supervised. While consistency and structure are important, I also see the value in being flexible and adjusting my approach based on the situation or the individual.
This module really challenged some assumptions I've carried for a while — particularly around Myth #1. In my role as College Director, I've seen firsthand that promoting a top performer doesn't always translate into effective management. The skills that make someone an excellent individual contributor are genuinely different from the people skills required to lead others well.
What stood out most to me was the Gallup statistic that only one in ten people naturally possesses the talent to manage effectively. That's a sobering number, but it also reframes how we think about hiring and developing managers. It's not just about who performs best — it's about who can bring out the best in others.
Going forward, I intend to be more intentional about how I support and evaluate the people I oversee. Rather than assuming that competence in a role equals readiness to lead, I want to ask better questions — does this person have the influence, the people skills, and the passion to help others grow? Well-managed management is about enabling others to win, and that's something I want to model and encourage in every interaction I have with my team.
Managing and leading are both important, but they are not the same. Management focuses on organizing tasks, meeting deadlines, following policies, and making sure work gets done correctly. Leadership is more about motivating people, creating a positive environment, and helping others grow.
One thing I learned is that a good manager is not always a good leader. A manager may make sure everything is completed, but a leader inspires the team to do their best. The best approach is to have both strong management and leadership skills.
I plan to apply this by staying organized and accountable, while also making sure I support and encourage the people I work with. In nursing, this means not only completing tasks and following procedures, but also communicating well, helping teammates, and setting a good example for patients and coworkers.
to lead or to manage, both are important roles, but manage is more important as the word means manage the situation, that situation could be different every day and the manager needs to be ready to address it and come up with a solution. A leader needs to be a individual that people can trust and believe it to feel comfortable to follow.
While leaders are generally seen as the more 'glamorous' role, I believe managers are 'more important' from the standpoint of your average employee. Managers, generally, have much more interaction and opportunity to positively influence employees than do leaders. Sure, in the long run good leaders can take the company in a better direction overall. But that does not always include all of the employees. However, managers have a better position and ability to make an impact on the day to day and overall morale of employees.
The element of inspiring or influencing others is characteristic in leaders, whereas, managers are intentional in focusing on controlling resources (i.e., employees who are a high-value asset), and managers are on a mission to fulfill the vision set forth by the leader.
This has been a good reminder a manager and a leader are two completely different roles.
I realized I am a leader, not a manager. I have long-range vision and am not good at the day-to-day operations.
This module reminded me that managers are made, not born.
I have always thought that being a good manager is being a good leader. This reading has been interesting because I have come to realise while manages rely more on authority and systems leaders rely on influence and inspiration.
This module reminded me that strong management systems directly support student success and institutional sustainability.
Managers help drive production while leaders inspire people to be productive.
A manager ensures things are done right. A leader ensures the right things are done with the future in mind. There are many myths about each role.
What I learned from this course is the difference between leadership and management. I now understand that leadership is about inspiring guiding and influencing other toward a shared visin, while management focuses more on organizing, planning, and ensuring tasks are completed efficiently. I feel that with leadership, I learned more about how to inspire other to woek effectively and stay motivated toward a common goal.
Being a good leader is not the same as being as being a good manager. The skills required to be a good leader include being able to encourage and inspire others to perform at a high level; a good leader has passion to get others to excel. The qualities of a good manager involve management of schedules, reports, and working with higher-ups to attain company goals. However, a good manager must possess good leadership skills to encourage and inspire their team to increase production. As an instructor, I recognized the need to have qualities of both a leader (inspire and encourage) and a manager (class and classroom management).
One key lesson I gained from this module is the clear distinction between management and leadership. While the two are often used interchangeably, I learned that they require different mindsets and skill sets. Management focuses on processes, organization, planning, and ensuring tasks are completed efficiently. Leadership, on the other hand, is centered on vision, motivation, influence, and guiding people toward shared goals.
Understanding this difference helped me reflect on my own practice. I intend to apply what I learned by being more intentional about when I am managing and when I am leading. For example, during structured tasks or compliance‑related responsibilities, I will apply stronger management skills. However, when working with students or colleagues on growth, morale, or change, I plan to lean more on leadership behaviors—such as active listening, inspiring confidence, and modeling the values I want the team to adopt.
Overall, this module helped me recognize that strong leaders often need to balance both roles, and being aware of that distinction can make me more effective in my professional environment.
A manager's role is to set clear direction, support their team, and drive accountability to achieve shared goals.
Comment on Davina Jones's post: I agree with this sentiment. Many management roles are not being filled by people who have people skills. Although their outcomes and outlooks may be great that does not equate to efficient leadership.
Managing is more task oriented, leading is the ability to influence and inspire others towards a goal.
