The Endless and Useless Debate on Leadership vs. Management

The debate on leadership versus management never seems to cease nor gets resolved. The reason for this is simple. There is no need to resolve this debate issue. There should not be a debate in the first place, in fact. A manager who cannot lead will eventually run out of steam, anyway. While a leader who cannot manage will ultimately run out of function.

The two concepts of leadership and management are so intertwined that any attempt to separate the two in a person is a self-defeating attempt, as well as a futile endeavor. There should not be any value judgment between the two qualities as far as the aim to make the organization succeed is concerned, as there should not be any separation between them. They are not necessarily symbiotic, just necessarily complementary.

The global debate over leadership versus management never ceases because the stakes are high all the time. Everyone involved in the business world know that the crux of the debate is a crucial consideration. A manager has the mandate to control and oversee. His basic goal is to maintain the status quo, while on the other hand, a leader makes it his mission to reinvent towards making the organization better (Sullivan, 2006).