Leadership and Management Skills

Discussion Forum

Initial Post (200 words, 1 source)
Review the following video on Leading vs. managingLinks to an external site. (Andreatta & Madecraft, 2020) and answer the following questions.

1. In your workplace, home, community organization, or another real-life scenario, would you view yourself as a leader or a manager, or both, and why?
2. Why might it be valuable for you to possess both leadership and management skills in your personal and/or professional lives?
3. Based on your personal and/or professional experiences, do you believe managers or leaders have more of an impact on generating positive outcomes or do you find them equal?
   Be sure to post an initial, substantive response by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. MT and respond to 2 or more peers with substantive responses by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. MT. A substantive initial post answers the question presented completely and/or asks a thoughtful question pertaining to the topic. Respond to the original post of at least 2 of your peers. Substantive peer responses ask a thoughtful question pertaining to the topic and/or answers a question (in detail) posted by another student or the instructor.
   Reference:
   Andreatta, B. & Madecraft. (2020, July 14). Leading vs. managing [Video]. LinkedIn Learning.

Respond to each student in 100 words:
Susan F.
Hello everyone,
I feel like for me it depends on the situation as to whether I’m more of a leader or a manager. In my work life I like to think I’m more of a leader because I feel that I’m more of an encourager, I like to see people succeed and I like to help them do it. however, if I need to put on the manager hat I do, probably more so in a leader way though. At home, again I feel like it is a mixture depending on the situation. if we are trying to get something done, definitely a manager! I feel like I have to delegate it in order for it to be done timely. I know that comes from my father who was a drill sergeant. But I’m also a leader in the sense that I want to encourage my children and my husband to be a better version of themselves and that they can attain the goals they set. I enjoy giving encouraging words and praising for jobs well done. For me, I feel that a leader style manager has more of an impact on generating positive outcomes. Again, I believe it depends on the situation and the person. Some people need a manager to tell them what to do and when to do it, while others like the leader style management.

Lynette P.
Hi Everyone,
In my current position at work, I consider myself a leader. I do not manage anyone beneath me but I am seen as an expert in some areas and I am put in charge of projects on occasion. I am currently working on reviewing, updating, and training others on a new charge card process within the organization. I have to work with others and as decisions are made I am a part of the team that trains others and makes sure all employees are receiving the information. Kumle, J., & Kelly, N. J. (2018) state that leadership is to “guide someone or something along a way”. When it comes to leadership relationships are very important and must come before goals (Kumle, J., & Kelly, N. J., 2018). As I am updating the processes within my organization it is important that I also focus on my and my department’s relationships with other employees. If I do not focus on this it will be very hard to get others to buy into the changes being made and trust will be lost.
If I would like to move to higher positions within my organization I will need to possess the skills of a good leader and manager. Being good at one will not guarantee success. I believe that managers and leaders can have equal positive outcomes but when looking at long-term outcomes it is best to have a balance between the two. Many people I have looked up to over my career have found this balance and people I have looked up to over my career have found this balance and made great changes within their organizations.
Lynette P.
References
Kumle, J., & Kelly, N. J. (2018). leadership vs. management. Supervision, 79(1), 6–8.