One of the most often asked questions: What’s the difference between Leadership and Management?
If I’m in a rush, the answer is, “Management gets you through today; Leadership gets you to tomorrow.”
It’s quick, it’s concise, and it isn’t wrong.
Leadership is about creating and communicating a strategic vision. It’s about putting together, and sustaining, a team that will be productive for the long haul. It’s about nurturing a curiosity that will insure you organization is riding the wave, not getting wiped out by it. Ultimately, Leadership is about the future.
Management on the other had is primarily focused on day-to-day and week-to-week results. It’s about scheduling and production and controlling costs. Management provides the solid business operations that make planning for the future possible.
What makes the Leadership vs. Management question tricky is that when it comes to individuals, there often isn’t a clear line between the two: Most Leaders have solid Management skills and most Managers, especially the very effective ones, have strong Leadership skills. The most important distinction is where they focus the majority of their time and energy. A strong Leader can’t ignore day-to-day operations but they can’t become so bogged down in the “now” that they aren’t building for the future. Similarly, a strong Manager needs to be able to think long-term but they can’t spend so much time doing so that day-to-day operations slip.
A much more detailed explanation from one of my favorite authors/thinkers:
Marco's Leadership Institute 