According to (Nienaber, 2010), Leadership can be defined briefly as the ability to influence individuals to make them want to achieve lofty goals, while management can be defined as the process of achieving set goals using the optimal use of available resources. In this paper, I will discuss the functions of Leadership, identify the differences between management and Leadership, and apply this to the Bechtel organization I chose as a case study for this course.
Functions of Leadership:
Neumann's Leadership Thesis:
(Neumann & Neumann, 2015) Argue that effective Leadership includes three primary skills that are indispensable to any leader, they are: (Vision Focus, and Implementation); vision is the leader's ambition for the future of the organization, the ability to predict it and to identify opportunities, challenges, and risks in the long term, after that comes to the focus, which is the leader's ability to effect change by sticking to his vision and transferring it to those around him/her, not only that but also making them adhere to this vision as well, the last skill is implementation, which is the mechanism followed and the set of orders and processes that the leader makes to reach his/her vision.
Kotter's Leadership Thesis:
According to (Kotter, 1990), Leadership is not just a person with charisma; he argued that leadership skills are not innate, thus disproving the theory that a leader is born a leader. Leadership has been described by Kotter as revolving around a leader's ability to deal with complexities and challenges; they anticipate changes and take advantage of the opportunities available with these changes, also defining what needs to be done and creating networks of people who can be inspired to implement his vision, and making sure that the work is done as required to reach the goal. However, he argued that the same tasks could be accomplished differently because of the other behaviors and skills of the people performing them.
The differences between management and Leadership:
According to (Arruda, 2020), The main difference between the leader and the manager is that the leader inspires those with him to implement his vision, while the manager makes final goals under which secondary goals fall. Those who work with him/her must implement them as they are.
Leaders are the ones who make the change and make the difference, while good managers maintain the status quo if it is successful and improve it for continued success. Leaders tend to take risks and bear the consequences, while managers control and reduce their negative impacts.
According to (Turk, 2007), leaders think long-term. It is possible to sustain losses today due to significant gains in the future. Managers are responsible for achieving positive results in the short term and maintaining budget and profits. Finally, leaders create followers and admirers who follow their path by dealing excellently with those around them. In contrast, managers create competent employees who do the work assigned to them efficiently by controlling, monitoring, and evaluating the work.
The application on Bechtel:
By studying the case of the founder of the construction company (Bechtel), the founding father, Warren Bechtel, we find that he was an inspiring leader of a particular ki; according to (Denton, 2016), Since 1912, Warres established the concept of the family leader. He assembled a team including his two brothers, who called him the father. He also inspired his three children to love and engage in this business since childhood. His three children attended the University of California, Berkeley (Bechtel, 2020), but they preferred to leave the university to join their father.
The father had a dream and a vision for the company to be a big player on the national scene. In 1931, this vision was realized with his union with Six Companies Inc. Together, they obtained a contract to build the Hoover Dam, which is one of the most significant engineering projects in Civilization throughout history (Denton, 2016). Warren, the father, was involved in the business himself and stood at the work site for long periods to share the work crews in the implementation, which greatly inspired everyone to implement his vision.
This inspiration and vision have been passed down through the Bechtel family generation after generation. Now, it is up to the family's fifth-generation grandson, 39-year-old Brendan Bechtel, who is now the CEO of the largest contracting company in the US, according to ENR magazine, vying for first and second place globally every year (Bechtel, 2021).
Conclusion
It can be concluded that the leader motivates the workers with him/her, highlights their work, supports them for success, and makes successful leaders from them. Also, he/she works in the spirit of one team, and he/she is one of the team members and does not treat his/her employees as their boss. Still, instead of one of them, as he/she determines his/her destination, tells his team the direction he wants to reach to help him/her lead until achieving the goal; in the end, he/she bears responsibility for the team working with him/her, whatever the results. The leader is creative and innovative, looking for development, renewal, and breaking the rules of stereotype and bureaucracy.
References
Arruda, W. (2020). Differences between being a leader and a manager. Forbes.com.
Bechtel. (2020). Warren-a-bechtel.
https://www.bechtel.com/about-us/warren-a-bechtel/
Bechtel. (2021). Brendan Bechtel
https://www.bechtel.com/about-us/leadership/brendan-bechtel/
Denton, S. (2016). The Profiteers: Bechtel and the Men Who Built the World. Simon and Schuster.
Kotter, J. P. (1990). What leaders really do. Harvard Business Review, 68(3), 103-111. Retrieved from EBSCO multi-search database in the TUW Library. *While this resource is dated, it is still relevant and important.
Neumann, Y. & Neumann, E. (2015, August 5). The CEO is the Difference. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2015/08/05/college-leaders-need-vision-communication-and-implementation-skills-essay *While this resource is dated, it is still relevant and vital.
Nienaber, H. (2010). Conceptualization of Management and Leadership. Management Decision.
Turk, W. (2007). Manager or leader?. Defense at and L, 36(4), 20.