Understanding the Difference Between Management and Leadership

Management involves helping people do what they did yesterday, but faster and cheaper, and staying the course. Leadership involves taking the leap, doing something new that might not work, pointing to a problem, challenge, or opportunity, and saying 'I'm going over here, who wants to come.' Both management and leadership are essential in an organization, with leadership happening in between the moments of managing. While leaders like Ray Kroc at McDonald's saw and seized opportunities, it was generations of managers that drove the company to its current status.