Manager or Leader? The Slim View


In the field of management science and in organisational development in particular we often talk about the differences between managers and leaders. Every now and then I come across great little snippets and insights from outside the field that add to the conversation. And here is one of those from the field of military history, a place to which my reading commonly wanders and where the rich tapestry of leadership is a theme that is commonly discussed. Less common though is for this field of study to throw up a direct comparison between leaders and managers. 

The British General William 'Bill' Slim was the master of successful military campaigns against the Japanese in the Far East during the Second World War and the leader of what is often called the "Forgotten 14th" Army. Slim, with excellent credentials of success both in terms of strategy and leadership saw a keen difference between leaders and managers. Slim's comparison runs as follows:

"The leader and the men who follow him represent one of the oldest, most natural and most effective of all human relationships. The manager, and those he manages are a later product, with neither so romantic nor so inspiring a history. Leadership is of the spirit, compounded of personality and vision; its practice is an art. Management is of the mind, more a matter of accurate calculation of statistics, of methods, timetables and routine; its practice is a science. Managers are necessary; leaders are essential".*
 

Slim talks about leadership having a human and personal authenticity gained through the embodiment of personality and vision, against the strict administrative and bureaucratic strengths of the manager. Sadly I don't have a date from Slim's quote, but although it pre-dates the modern concept of 'radical openness' it does seem to speak of it. Although short, it sheds informative light on Slim's own view, which reemphasises the prevalent conception of leadership as the paramount of the two disciplines.

Just another moment in an ongoing conversation.




*Extracted from The Colin White Memorial Lecture, Peter Warwick, 1805 Club, 2012

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