Table of Content
Introduction
Management, Leadership, and Administration—Three terms that sound so similar, one might confuse them for synonyms.
Although to the common man there might not seem any valuable difference between the three, we would like to break it to you that these three are indeed very different concepts from one another. Let’s have a look at the basics first.
The Basics First: Understanding the Key Aspects
1. Management
- Management is simply being able to handle someone’s (person, company, department) area of work to make it either easier/better for them.
- Here the wheels could be in someone else’s hands, and they could be the leader, while you manage their work for them.
- There could be one or more than one manager for a stand-alone leader/authority.
- However, when it comes to big companies and businesses, managers are assigned departments according to the framework that their capabilities lie in, which means each department usually has a different manager.
- An individual, like a Freelancer, hires a manager for increased efficiency and not just decreased workload. Therefore, the focus here is on creating value.
2. Leadership
- Leadership is when you lead the pack in the right direction, and not when you steer them to work through fear.
- When you are the lion in the jungle, you rule the others by the quality of being a superior and authoritative figure. This is something most people confuse leadership with. A leader is not a dictator. A Leader leads the team in the right direction, by guiding it towards fulfilling a common goal.
- They are not the King, but a guiding force whom others look up to.
- A good Leader = A larger perspective + the Vision for growth + the ability to plan for the future
3. Administration
- Often confused with Management due to the nature of activities involved, the administration has some distinctive factors which make it stand out.
- While there is one manager for a department or workplace, there is a whole department (group of individuals) who carry the administrative duties in the framework of an administration.
- The administration is the micro-level of management where it comes down to building processes for long-term tasks and workflows.
- Helps run an organization smoothly, therefore requires a good host of skills including management and leadership, alongside administration being the primary one.
Why should I care to know the difference?
Well, what if we told you that the answer to that is directly linked to how employable you are in an employer’s view? Yes, that is exactly what it is.
When people hire a new employee, they look for specific traits in that individual, pertaining specifically to the job profile they have applied for. While one might not need all of these three traits, knowing the key differences is essential so as to highlight which one is your stronger suit.
How would I know if my employer is looking for a manager, a leader or an administrative quality in me?
The simplest answer to this, my friend, is the job profile you are applying for.
If you are applying for a job in the department of administrative affairs, Administration would be the primary quality your employer might want from you.
- If you want to apply for a position in the Management profile, no matter what kind (Event Management, IT Hardware Management, Social Media Management), know that your employer is looking for a manager in you.
- If you are applying for a Senior position in a company, and would have to not only work with a team, but lead them—that’s when Leadership would be the quality your employer seeks most from you.
However, most times when an employer is looking to hire an employee, they will look for a good combination of all three facets in them even if the primary focus is on one aspect.
Management, Leadership, and Administration—Knowing which one is in place when and how in an organization, is one of the key factors for a job-seeker to go from job-applicant to employed.
We hope we could bring in the information you were looking for, and could help you in your journey!
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