Course: BSc.

(Honours) in Business and Management –

TOPUP

Module: Management and Leadership – Challenges and

Practice

Module Code: 6BM502

Associate Academic: Dr Paul Dudley

Name: Arsalan Umer

Student Number: 100502389

I would like to initiate the discussion based on my personal perception, whether a leader
or a manager, neither is better than the other, nor is one a replacement for the other.
Rather, leadership and management are 2 typical and balancing systems of action. Both
has its own purpose and distinguishing activities. Equally they are essential for
achievement in a progressively multipart and business environment.” Numerous
businesses are “mis-managed and under controlled,” which is a condition not unaware to
numerous in the businesses. Effective organizations make the peculiarities indistinct
while concurrently looking for chances to progress and lead those with leadership
capabilities.

Managers indorse steadiness whereas leaders strive for changes, and organizations that
accepts equal flanks of that reckoning can flourish throughout transformation. Observing
where you stand in terms of your role as a leader or manager brands you an asset to your
organization. Just as it is correspondingly imperative to comprehend that there is no great
mystery to be a leader. It is a misconception that leaders are native to that role.
Leadership capabilities can be developed and improved, same for management skills.
Preferably each role is symbiotic.

While comparing the characteristics of both, we can perceive the differences that a
manager and a leader carry. If the company truthfully recognizes the worth of each, it will
have a superior chance to function excellently and competently:

LEADERS MANAGERS

• Sets Direction: • Plan/Strategy:

 Launch the idea and highlight  Set strategy and do planning

its criticality to the other
stakeholders
 Create the approaches to make
accomplishment conceivable
 Handle the change that the
tactics have generated
• Align Individuals:
 Communicate the way; make it
come flourishing for individuals
 Involve individuals in operation
by serving them to understand
where they are appropriate
 Build obligation
 Create and capitulate budgets
 Assign resources
• Organize/Systemize:
 Make and control the strategies to
achieve the results
 Liaise the plan
 Gives directions and assign
responsibilities to everyone
 Create rules, actions, and schemes to
control and monitor the progress and
plan

2
 • Monitoring and Controlling:
• Inspire:
 Lead the way and provide
direction
 Train and authorize staff
throughout the period
 Appreciate the employees and
gives rewards to the deserving
individuals
 Observe outcomes
 Compare outcomes in contradiction
of plans
 Gives guidance to the team and
involve team in brainstorming and
problem-solving activities

In addition to the above Key similarities and differences between

leadership and management in industries and organizations (in
General), I have illustrated below the Leadership principles that support
organizational values in my current organization namely GENERAL
ELECTRIC(GE):

 There is an official application that permits managers to "train" staffs repetitively.

The application focuses on 2main purposes: what managers want their employees
to endure doing and what they want employees to anticipate doing. Since the
application is already written to permit for productive condemnation, employees
can take complete control of their own performance and are able to continuously
ameliorate their performance.

In today’s era where businesses are evolving very rapidly, it's essentially not
recommended to have quarterly reviews with employees. If there is any issue, why you
should gap it for 3 months to fix it? Maybe you do not have aptitude to produce an
application like GE, alternatively, you can find ways by providing employees more
instant, positive response that will keep the employees inspired to function at topmost
performance.

 Peter (Senior Vice President of Human Resources at GE as of Dec2016) says, "If

you get a little bit better all the time...you will have higher expectations of
yourself, higher expectations of the people around you...and together we all rise."
(Inc.com, 2016). She further narrates that every person within GE should have
capability and responsibility to repetitively improve. GE look for the leadership
quality on newly hired and during interview for the new hires. GE want to bring on
talented folks who distinguish their own value and identify their accountability to
grow, hence, they can support others to do the same. You have to be careful when
you hire, and you should be assured that they have the craving to grow in the
organization.
3
  Peters further enlightens that in order to grow a business culture of leadership, you
should precisely classify which features of your corporation you already love and
which characteristics of the company you are reluctant with Afterwards, it is your
responsibility to "see around corners" and determine where you want to take your
company moving forward. Precisely, you must recognize how you can transform
the values in order to accomplish goals. GE has done this with their "GE Beliefs."
These beliefs are five statements that have helped form the "zeitgeist" of their
corporate culture.

 Later of 2008 crisis, GE referred senior leaders out into the world to lecture the
role of leadership in a globally changing economy. Those GE leaders visited
businesses all around the world. They took all they learned from each of these very
different leadership styles and refurbished their leadership practices.

“Never stop learning how to be a better leader. Evolve into a leadership culture by taking
and implementing ideas from the companies you admire most. Again, it's always going to
be a work in progress” (Inc.com, 2016)

 GE regularly gather up with their other businesses to exchange best practices. It

may seem bold to readily share you "trade secrets," but GE gets a lot out of the
exchange. In one of the interviews, the CEO narrate a recent "best practices"
conference with other anonymous firm that gave GE insight into ways they can
practice technology throughout the employment procedure to expand competence
and victory. In return, GE distributed their strategies for talent management and
succession planning.

CONCLUSION

I would conclude my initial thoughts on the topic by phrasing that there is sufficient
space for everyone to become a good and efficient leader. We should just constantly
develop our self and strive to learn more and more from self-development as well as from
others. It was great chance to hear from Susan Peters and acquire from her years of
knowledge within GE. I learnt from Peter that one should never admit satisfaction; even
after 124 years of success at GE, I realize that there is constantly something to acquire.
After all, it is our duty to repetitively progress, because together we all rise.

References (Bibliography)

Cheverie, J. (2016). Managers and Leaders: Are They the Same or Different? [online]
https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2016/3/managers-and-leaders-are-they-the-same-or-different.
Available at: https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2016/3/managers-and-leaders-are-they-the-same-
or-different [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].

4
Louis, M. (2016). GE Is Learning About Leadership From Silicon Valley. [online]
Inc.com. Available at: https://www.inc.com/molly-reynolds/ge-is-learning-about-
leadership-from-silicon-valley.html [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].

Summary of Contribution with fellow students on Discussion Board:

Even though I have had very detailed and lengthy discussion with several other fellow
students on the discussion board, I have taken the shortest insights/discussion as
following due to word limitation:

1) Author: Abdi Mohamed Mohamed Date: Thursday, 28 February 2019

15:16:55 o'clock GMT Subject: RE: CW1 Assessed Collaborative
Activity (Assessed in Turnitin)

Hi, Arsalan,

You mentioned that your Organisation uses innovative App that allows Managers to
coach employees. We know a lot of companies use App for mentoring and rating.

Would say your organization App works like a democratic leadership style since there is
an interaction between managers and employees?

My feedback/reply to Abdi:

Thanks for your response and valuable thought

I would say, it is more likely to be the combination of democratic and Laissez-faire

leadership style.

Laissez-faire style because leaders are hands-off and allow group members to make the
decisions and Group members are expected to solve problems on their own, even though
Power is handed over to followers, yet leaders still take responsibility for the group’s
decisions and actions

Democratic leadership style because Democratic leader will make the final decision,
he/she invites other members of the team to contribute in the decision-making process
whether virtually or physically, hence, there will be an interaction between managers and
employees. On the downside, the democratic process sometimes is normally slower im
my organization and may not function well where quick decision-making is crucial.

Cherry, K. (2018). How Does Laissez-Faire Leadership Work?. [online] Verywell Mind.
Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-laissez-faire-leadership-2795316
[Accessed 9 Mar. 2019].

5
 2) Author: Charley Penny Date: Thursday, 28 February 2019 19:47:48
o'clock GMT Subject: RE: CW1 Assessed Collaborative Activity
(Assessed in Turnitin)

Hi Arsalan,

I really enjoyed reading your post, and I think that you have provided valuable insight,
especially in bringing the two concepts together. I think you have done that really well.

In particular, I agree that it is neither better to be a manager or a leader, and that neither
is a replacement for the other. Further, your comments on organisations embracing both
sides and getting the balance right between the two are well placed. Determining where
you stand in the organisation is also a really good point and possibly overlooked a lot.
Just a quick question - I just wondered if you agree that someone can be both, or if you
believe that you are typically one or the other (I have genuine interest in your view
here)?

Moreover, you mention that it is a fallacy that you are a born leader, or not. Whilst I
agree that you can learn each role, I also feel that certain personality traits will lend
themselves to be a leader or a manager, as shown in our psychometric testing. Do you
think that trait leadership theory has some value here?

Thanks again for your insight.

Charley

My feedback/reply to Charley:

Hi Charley

Thanks for your time to read my post and for the feedback, i appreciate your compliment
and valuable thoughts

In response to your first question, i would say possibly a person could be both, but to be
efficacious as a leader in management, you need to have a mixture of two ingredients:
personality and capability. You required to be a honest person on which other people
could belief and are enthusiastic to follow, however, it also depends on the type of
business and work atmosphere. Even the organization I am working at, we have some of
the managers who cannot and will not lead, since they trust that leadership is not their
concern. In conclusion, individuals in business must be capable of both managing and
leading. Leaders who are not able to manage will sooner or later be unconcluded by their
deficiency of practical acquaintance and capability. Managers who cannot or will not lead
will lose the confidence of their fellow workers and assistants. Individuals look up to and
admire those who are enthusiastic to take responsibility (as a leader and manager both).

Secondly, as shown in psychometric testing which we have taken, i trust that the
concerned leader must have precise potentials that matches his or her capability to lead an
6
organization. These attributes could be learned, developed via education, or can be
adapted by new skills and technologies. In my opinion there are many valuable traits of a
leader:

Inspiration/obligation, willpower, proficiency, problem-solving expertise, communication

skills, team building, socializing, honesty and admiration. I also believe that the leader
should have the capability to 'think' which are unthinkable by others.

As to the behaviors of a leader, a long discussion and list can be made, but in actual, how
leader observe and tackle the problems is very essential. Ultimately, it also rely on the
usual social, political, economic situations as well. Understand the present reality and
captivating the correct choice is what makes a leader effacious

Anon, (2014). [online] Available at:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_are_the_most_valuable_traits_of_a_leader
[Accessed 9 Mar. 2019].

3) Author: Charley Penny Date: Saturday, 2 March 2019 11:58:27 o'clock

GMT Subject: RE: CW1 Assessed Collaborative Activity (Assessed in
Turnitin)

Hi Arsalan,

Thanks or commenting back! I agree with your stance that a person can be both, thanks
for confirming. It seems that you are saying, that if you are only one or the other, then
you will not succeed. Do you think an organisation could ever work, or people can work
together, if they were to acknowledge this difference and use their skills sets accordingly?

My feedback/reply to Charley:

Based on my personal experience and being in management role since last 6 years, i
would say at a top level, leaders are the courageous developer, making the courageous
choices behind the scenes, and managers are the loyal allies, operating the team on the
ground

Certainly, there is a pyramid of policymaking authority for leaders, and with that control
comes great accountability. Occasionally, those choices may be encountered with a
certain sum of confrontation. Managers and leaders need to categorize and embrace the
natural friction that will ascend amongst their roles.

7
 4) Author: Ben Doughty Date: Tuesday, 5 March 2019 18:20:57 o'clock
GMT Subject: RE: CW1 Assessed Collaborative Activity (Assessed in
Turnitin)

Hi Arsalan,

Thank you for your response.

So I think we can conclude here that pretty much anyone has the potential to be a leader,
whether they are born that way or learn it over time. Would you say that one or the other
would make a better and more effective leader?

Personally, I think that someone who has learned what it takes to be a leader over time
will be more effective than someone that was born with the traits of a leader so maybe
feels entitled to be one.

Thanks,

Ben

My feedback/reply to BEN:

Hi Ben,

Agree with you here, comparatively huge fraction of leadership skills are learned and can
be coached. However, individual should have the wish to acquire knowledge in order for
leadership exercise to be efficacious. I would like to conclude our discussion by the
following phrase said by great Michael Jordan: “earn your leadership every day.”
(Quotefancy.com, n.d.).

Doing this is forever chase, and as with all particular and specialized growth, there will
continuously be new skills to acquire, new ways to reinforce your attractiveness, and new
prospects to place your leadership into action.

Here’s to becoming more of a leader every day—whether you consider yourself to be

“born with it” or not.

Arak, J. (n.d.). Real Talk: Are Leaders Born or Made?. [online] Themuse.com. Available
at: https://www.themuse.com/advice/real-talk-are-leaders-born-or-made [Accessed 9 Mar.
2019].