Management and Leadership at Microsoft Over the years, management has acquired a harmful reputation for many reasons. On the other hand, management is still an essential element within the business context. The words leader and manager are often interchanged but do not have the same meaning. Managers do not always possess the characteristics and skills of a leader, yet leadership is a skill that management must grasp. However, lack of leadership can cause many harmful effects to employees and companies. There are variations and benefits between managing and leading a company and the results the two positions have on company operations (Treacy, 2006). Successful managers are not automatically true leaders, even if the two cannot work separately. Many administrators, supervisors, and even senior officials carry out their responsibilities successfully without being great leaders. But these positions offer leadership opportunities. Having the ability to lead effectively will place the exceptional manager at a leading distance from ordinary ones (Bateman, Snell, 2007, pp. 395). Management vs. Leadership Management is the set of fields of political direction of the organization and the people who present the decisions and supervision necessary to carry out corporate directives and development (Management, n.d.). Managers create systems, construct operating rules and procedures, and implement motivation programs. Management, on the contrary, concerns the company and not the people; people are important to accomplish the task. Leader...... middle of paper ...... c/leadership Management: Authority and Responsibility. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of business and finance. Retrieved June 22, 2007, from Answers.com website: http://www.answers.com/topic/management-authority-and-responsibilityMicrosoft, (2007). Retrieved June 23, 2007, from http://www.microsoft.com/about/default.mspxRobbins, S., (2002). The difference between managing and leading. Entrepreneur. Retrieved June 23, 2007, from http://www.entrepreneur.com/management/leadership/article57304.htmlTracy, B., (n.d.). The role of a leader. MRO Today, Retrieved June 22, 2007, from http://www.mrotoday.com/mro/archives/exclusives/Roleofaleader.htmTreacy, V., (2006, January 03) What's the Difference Between Leaders and Managers! weLEAD. Retrieved June 22, 2007, from http://www.leadingtoday.org/Onmag/2002%20Archives/nov02/vt-nov02.html