The workforce is changing and with it all traditional management, so today we are exploring the difference between leadership and management.

Great Leaders (Don’t) Manage

Management and leadership go hand in hand. And both, in a healthy balance with one another, are absolutely necessary for making anything meaningful happen in the world. To be set up for success, a practice often needs two people to fill the leadership and management role.

Most entrepreneurs will be stronger in one over the other, a reality that can prove to be problematic. Leaders without management skills are often viewed as dreamers. While they can easily get others excited about a vision, they tend to lack the skills to bring it to reality. At the other end of the spectrum, managers without leadership skills are sure to get all of the details handled, but may not be capable of creating a meaningful vision and inspiring others to make it happen.

Leaders have the ability to define a mission, to achieve a vision, while managers have the ability to define the outcomes to complete that mission. This may or may not include the ability to inspire the team. Without inspiration, team members may simply act blindly or do only as they’re told, without context or reason for why their work is important. A true leader is one who can harness both, the visionary and the pragmatic, who can see the future and lead others to dream and do in that direction as well.

Becoming a great leader in practice changes you as a person, but it’s a change that can help change the healthcare industry for the better.