Leader or manager

I googled about top leaders, which I found plenty, and top managers, which I did not find any. Why is that? And which one do we need? Many of us may have had an experience with a bad manager, but when things succeed she was a great leader.

So we need more leaders than managers in the future. On the other hand, when you have some serious hands on work to do, first thing to come in mind isn’t to put the great leader on charge. You need somebody who can make things happen. So do we need managers then?

For John Kotter of the Harvard Business School, the leadership process involves (a) developing a vision for the organization; (b) aligning people with that vision through communication; and © motivating people to action through empowerment and through basic need fulfillment. In contrast, the management process involves (a) planning and budgeting, (b) organizing and staffing, and © controlling and problem solving. (Leadership versus Management: A Key Distinction — At Least in Theory)

Term to manage means to control, master, rule. I believe project manager role per se is from the era of matrix organizations, where line managers where responsible of the human resources side. Like other dated phenomenons it had its advantages, but is very hard to get working properly at the end of the day.

Leader equals to a guide, director, captain. We can divide leaders into idealist leaders who lead more by vision and with the goal in sight, and pragmatic leaders who are more hands on and lead by practical matters on how to get to the goal.

Still, why open vacancies are more for manager positions than leadership positions? Is leader a job title or well deserved honor? Is leadership a skill set whereas manager is the title?

Lean, agile and autonomous ways of working are the result of new more efficient approaches. Similarly the management positions should evolve as well.

My 2 cents on the key proficiencies of management and leadership in modern project phases:

• Know the foundations and develop vision
• Set meaningful objectives and motivate people
• Set achievable goals by plans and budgets
• Organize, communicate and problem solving
• Measure, learn and give feedback

Did I miss something?