Management may be defined as the art or manner of controlling the movement or behavior of something; to have charge of; direct; conduct; administer. Bennis & Nanus define the traditional manager and list several key differences between leaders and managers. They said that managers: Do things right; See people as liabilities; Seek control, create and follow the rules; Focus on how things should be done; Seek compliance; Value secrecy; and Use formal authority (hierarchy). In contrast they list as leader's attributes that they: Do the right things; See people as great assets; Seek commitment; Focus on outcomes; See what and why things could be done; Share information; and Promote networks. The manager determines how things will be done, where the leader asks what and why. The manager believes in keeping secrets and the leader shares information. Many of the traditional manager's characteristics are necessary to manage successfully in the future. However, it is my opinion that managers of the future will manage with increasingly stronger leadership traits. .
It has been said that there are as many definitions of leadership as there are those that write about it (Bass, 1990). However, when leadership is compared to management, the picture becomes clearer. Leaders live in a working environment that is often chaotic. In contrast, managers act in a manner to ensure the stability of the system. In its simplest terms, leadership is the process of influencing the behavior of another person while fully respecting the freedom of that person. Two aspects of this thought are important. First, followers are essential to effective leadership. Unless followers allow themselves to be influenced by a leader, no one can exercise effective leadership. No matter how skillful a leader is, no matter how much power a leader has, no matter how well liked a leader is, a leader is not effective unless people freely choose to behave in ways consistent with the objectives of the leader.