What Is The Difference Between Leadership and Management?.

It’s not uncommon to hear leadership and management being referred to interchangeably as the same thing. The two naturally go hand in hand in business, but their focus and aims are totally different. 

A manager has a team of people working for them. Their focus is to administer the company workload and their aim is to make sure tasks are handled on time and efficiently, whereas a leader has people who follow them by choice. Their focus is to motivate others to believe in the company vision and their aim is to help you achieve your work-related goals.  

All businesses need strong management and leadership professionals to drive their operations towards success. They need managers to plan, organise and coordinate their staff, and leaders to inspire and motivate their team to reach their potential. One doesn’t work well without the other, so to become the best in the business, it’s wise to develop skills in both. 

Leadership and Management Explained 

In a lot of cases, leaders and managers are viewed like the good cop and the bad cop in business. Leadership professionals are seen as the ones who praise success and drive people, whereas management professionals are thought of as the ones who constantly look for faults.  

While it may seem like a harsh representation of managers, they are the ones who are hired to spot problems and identify opportunities for optimisation in business processes. This is why they are driven by setting, measuring and achieving goals through tightly controlled situations. 

Leaders, on the other hand, approach it differently by motivating people to achieve those goals. They do this by painting a picture of the potential success of a business and the things it can accomplish, then inspiring the workforce to turn the vision into a reality. 

So, where managers look at employees as a set of skills, leaders look at them as something bigger and push them to become more accomplished version of themselves, bringing individuals together for more cohesive success as a high-functioning team. 

Why Study Management and Leadership? 

If you want to get the best out of your team and achieve business objectives, the best way to do so would be by focusing on developing your leadership and management skills. Any person in a business can benefit from this kind of training, whether you are just entering the business or you’re a senior-level business professional.  

Formal training courses are an excellent way to help you enhance your leadership and management skills. The most effective courses for this are those that are provided by the Institute of Leadership and Management. 

Institute of Leadership and Management Courses 

The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) is driven by ‘harnessing the power of leadership to transform people and businesses for the better.’ As such, they have positioned themselves as the UK's leading provider of leadership, coaching and management qualifications and training.  

For this reason, employers and educational institutions throughout the UK recognise the Institute of Leadership and Management for their top-quality training. The ILM brand is synonymous with the standards of training and competence that are valued by employers in today’s fast-paced and perpetually evolving workplace.  

With Stonebridge Associated Colleges, you can study: 

ILM Level 3 Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring 

While there may be some similarities, coaching and mentoring are two different styles, though their overarching goal revolves around supporting the development of an individual. 

In this course you will learn about coaching and mentoring as powerful development tools: 

• Understand the role and responsibilities of an effective coach and mentor 
• Explore different coaching and/or mentoring models 
• Develop practical skills, tools and techniques to support these models 
• Put your new skills into practice – carry out supervised coaching and/or mentoring sessions 
• Analyse, assess and plan to improve your own coaching and/or mentoring ability 

ILM Level 3 Diploma in Leadership and Management 

This course takes a combined approach to equip you with the skills, as well as the confidence of a strong manager. Through your studies you will: 

• Gain key insights into what being a good inspiring manager means 
• Learn what is expected of a manager and how to manage effectively 
• Understand the need to promote a culture of learning and development 
• Know how to plan and delegate work 
• Understand how to make decisions and solve business problems 
• Learn how to communicate in the workplace 

Dental Practice Manager (ILM Level 4 Certificate in Leadership and Management (RQF)) 

Like all businesses, leadership and management skills are essential in dental practices. This is why the ILM offer a course totally dedicated to dental leadership and management development. Throughout the course, you will delve into the principles of dental practice management, and the training and coaching methods you can introduce to develop staff within the workplace. 

With this course you will: 

• Study the principles of dental practice management 
• Better understand the management role to improve management performance 
• Develop your leadership styles 
• Explore conflict management in the workplace 
• Understand training and coaching in the workplace 
• Understand the legal and organisational requirements for managing clients, and more 

All ILM qualifications have been accredited by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual). By possessing an ILM qualification, you will signal to employers that you have the training and skills that will make you a real asset in the workplace. 

Institute of Leadership and Management Membership 

As an ILM learner, you will become eligible for the Institute of Leadership and Management membership. This is a complimentary membership that opens doors to a range of resources that will develop leadership skills, boost confidence and enhance the learning experience. 

Specifically, as an ILM member you will benefit from: 

• Joining a community of over 40,000 leaders 
• Access to over 300 hours of learning content  
• Access to the MyLeadership platform  
• Self-reflective tools and diagnostics 
• My Careers: advice, tools and resources to help you take the next step 
• My Learning Record: evidence your CPD and personal development 
• Networking events  
• EDGE online journals and cutting-edge research 

All you need is your ILM enrolment number to activate your membership, which you will receive as soon as you enrol on your course with Stonebridge Associated Colleges.  

Start an ILM Course Today 

If you’re ready to get the skills and capabilities to drive business success and take on senior-level management roles, Stonebridge Associated Colleges can help you take the next step.  

Our Institute of Leadership and Management Level 3 and 4 courses will get you on track to achieving your career goals in no time. What’s more, they can all be studied from the comfort of home.  

As a UK leading distance learning provider, our courses are designed for the ultimate convenience. By enabling our learners to study around their lifestyle commitments, we give more people access to the education they deserve.  

This allows anyone from a single parent to a full-time worker or someone looking to study a course after retirement to enrol on a course, should they wish to. What’s more, our flexible payment methods and access to professional tutor support make your learning goals that much more accessible and achievable.  

Why wait? Get on the fast track to your new career role in business leadership and management today by studying ILM qualifications online with Stonebridge! 

Find out more by talking to our Course Executives today. They will help you find the leadership and management course that is right for you and help you get started.   

Call them now on 0121 392 8288 or contact them online.