How does leadership differ from management?

Leadership and management are different approaches of inter-relationships with people.
It is important to differentiate the two by defining their role in order to understand their function. In Rick Joyner’s book, Leadership, Management. Joyner states, “Both leadership and management are required for the administration of almost every venture, but they must be recognized as separate, and kept within their spheres of authority” (Joyner, 1990, p11).

“Leadership is the process of influencing the actions of a person or group to attain desired objectives,” according to Douglas in her book, The Effective Nurse Leader Manager. Leadership can occur at any time when an individual attempts to influence the beliefs, opinions and behaviors of another individual or group of individuals (Hershey, P. and Blanchard, K., 1988). Leadership is a combination of intrinsic personality traits, learned leadership skills, and characteristics of the given situation. Joyner, further states, that leadership combines several characteristics to make one both perceptive and effective in accomplishing goals. The effective leader will not only have the vision to perceive the future, he will have the wisdom, courage, and determination to affect it. The function of a leader is to guide people and groups to accomplish common goals (Joyner, 1990). Leaders may not have formal authority granted by the group or organization but they are still able to influence others.