Great Leader vs Good Manager

[The Stranger]

Hitler was pretty damn good at management, untill drug abuse kicked in, IIRC..

Genghis Khan is probably the leader I would think of first, if you want examples. He was just a great leader in any way you measure it.

Ghandi is another example, of course :)

But Ghandi was not a manager, right? Or atleast he did not get the chance to prove it.

What about Nelson Mandela?

As for leaders who were great at leading, but worse or bad at administrating (but were still in charge of a nation) what about Richard Lionheart? Charles VIII of France?

[Noncommunist]

But Ghandi was not a manager, right? Or atleast he did not get the chance to prove it.

What about Nelson Mandela?

As for leaders who were great at leading, but worse or bad at administrating (but were still in charge of a nation) what about Richard Lionheart? Charles VIII of France?

Atilla or Tamerlane? Their empires collapsed after their deaths but were pretty expansive.

[a completely inoffensive name]

In my mind a good leader is someone who can get a country or a group of people to move in a singular direction. A good manager is someone who can actually maintain that movement.

This sounded a lot better in my head, but I hope you guys get the point. The defining characteristic of a leader is to inspire and win hearts and minds. The defining characteristic of a manager is....I don't how else to put it but conflict deterrence? Good managers are the ones that can get people to work together in harmony (more or less) for extended periods of time and that in and of itself is way different than simply getting everyone to agree on something.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

In my mind a good leader is someone who can get a country or a group of people to move in a singular direction. A good manager is someone who can actually maintain that movement.

This sounded a lot better in my head, but I hope you guys get the point. The defining characteristic of a leader is to inspire and win hearts and minds. The defining characteristic of a manager is....I don't how else to put it but conflict deterrence? Good managers are the ones that can get people to work together in harmony (more or less) for extended periods of time and that in and of itself is way different than simply getting everyone to agree on something.

Conflict Management. After all, you cannot avoid conflict (indeed certain aspects of it are healthy for decision making), but handling it adroitly is a great management skill.