Journal

Leadership and management are two phenomena that are mostly mistaken to mean the same thing. Although mistaken, some differences are evident between the two phenomenons. Unlike leadership, management is a combination of various aspects that includes managing or controlling resources and at the same time leading. On the other hand, leadership does not involve managing resources but it entails guiding a group of people towards achieving the set goals and objectives. The two terms, therefore, cannot be assumed to be same since there are different roles for a manager and a leader (Spector, 2015).

I partially agree and disagree with the argument that "leadership characteristics are nothing more than Great Man Theory and have no relationship to modern leadership theory". Over the last centuries, the characteristics of a great leader have not changed much. The world is evolving but the characteristics of the ancient leader are still the same as that of the modern leader. The Great man theory outlines various characteristics of a leader such as courage, heroism, high intelligence and inspiration to the society. The leadership characteristics are the same as that of Great Man theory. The Great Man theory and leadership characteristics share the same aspects hence making them alike. I, therefore, agree with the portion of the statement that says "leadership characteristics are nothing more than Great Man Theory" (Simon, 2015).

I disagree with the statement that says that the Great Man theory and has no relationship to the modern leadership theory. Over the years, leadership has changed but the characteristics of a great leader remain constant. Unlike the Great Man theory, modern theory has many different styles that are used for leadership. The modern theory leadership styles are dependent on the scenarios that leaders are in but they still maintain the characteristics that are outlined by the Great Man theory. The characteristics shared between the great man theory and the modern theory of leadership are therefore brings in the relationship between the two theories (Simon, 2015).

In conclusion, leadership and management are two different phenomenons. The two phenomenons represent the top individual within an organization but these two individuals assume different roles within the organization. A manager will be expected to manage the distribution of resources within the organization for the effective running of the affairs in the organization. Also, in the absence of a leader, the manager can act as a leader. On the other hand, after a team has received the necessary work resources, the leader will be expected to assist in the utilization of the resources towards the achievement of the set goals and objectives.

References

Harrison, C. (2017). Leadership Research and Theory. Leadership Theory and Research, 15-32. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-68672-1_2

Simon, C. A. (2015). Are two heads better than one? System school leadership explained and critiqued. School Leadership & Management, 35(5), 544-558. doi:10.1080/13632434.2015.1107035

Spector, B. A. (2015). Carlyle, Freud, and the Great Man Theory more fully considered. Leadership, 12(2), 250-260. doi:10.1177/1742715015571392