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Management vs. Leadership – Same Jungle, Different Rules

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management vs leadership
Joel Brown

Imagine you’re a part of a filming team and you want to do a movie shot deep in the Amazonian rainforest. You need a specific waterfall shot under the moonlight which occurs only once every 4 years. So you recruit the best directors, field operatives, foot guides (for the jungle marsh), producers and more. Everything that you need to go through the jungle and shoot the movie.

These guys go through the jungle effectively. They cut down all the trees and marsh on the way, prepare food, water, and medicine. They are fast, create the right path and move through the jungle under all the rules and regulations. That is what they were trained for and they conquer the jungle.

The team and you come to the right spot to shoot the scene with the waterfall but it isn’t there. And just then, you hear the guy from the top of a tree yelling at you for the past 3 days “Wrong jungle!”

Efficient and Effective. What does it have to do with leadership and management?

The 2 intersecting fields, often confused and misdefined, have been the cornerstone of today’s economy and entrepreneurship. For years, it was all about management but then leadership kicked in. Everyone started praising Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Jack Ma for their vision, implying that is was all about leadership. But management and leadership are just different sides of the same coin.

Management is all about playing the field and being the most efficient you can be. This is where you ask the bottom-line question “How can I best accomplish certain things?” And you need this if you want to succeed. But with no direction, even the most efficient teams will fail like we have seen with the filming crew.

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John Maxwell

This is where leadership comes into the play. Leadership is all about seeing the bigger picture and having a holistic approach to the matter. As a leader, you decide which is the right jungle to fight in. You see which is the right jungle for your guys and decide on the direction your team is heading for.

Leadership is all about being effective (doing the right things). This is where you ask the top-line question “What are the things I want to accomplish?” But even the best leaders, the biggest visionaries are worthless without the right team on the field which creates a reality from that vision. You need both management (doing things right) and leadership (doing the right things).

But people often go into extremes of one and ignore the other which leads to a catastrophe (Enron, Blockbuster, Polaroid etc.). So let’s see what that looks like and how, if you find yourself in that position, you can fix it.

The Lone Visionary

We see this quite often, especially in today’s world where the disruption of big companies by “garage“ companies and one-man shows is a rule instead of a mere coincidence. Lone visionaries have the idea. They see the world not as it is, but as it can be. They have big ideas where some of those can disrupt the industries, turning them upside down and with it, the world.

But the problem with lone visionaries is in the first word, they are (a)lone. A mere vision, or knowing which jungle is worth taking on, is only half of the equation. Without the right team on the field and proper management, the vision will remain just that, a vision.

Convincing other people that your vision is possible, that it will change the world and that people will never look at that the same, is what differentiates the lone visionaries from the best leaders in the world.

“A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?“, is what Steve Jobs asked the CEO of PepsiCo, John Sculley at their meeting. And that sentence became the reason why Sculley went from a secure and highly paid position at Pepsico, into joining a bunch of young computer nerds on the West coast. Your biggest weapon is your vision. Convince people in that and it will attract people who can put that vision into reality.

The Directionless Juggernaut

These are the perfect managers and workers. They have the skills, knowledge, and attitude which they crafted for years and years. The best managers, problem-solvers, and people who turn visions into realities.

They are the people who know how to cut their way through the jungle because they focus on the trees and marsh, not the entire jungle.  But more often than not, this focus makes them end up in the wrong jungle.

Without a holistic approach or a vision, this team becomes the Directionless Juggernaut. It can be a powerful force with the right vision and direction, but without that sense of direction, it becomes the worst nightmare.

The way you handle this is not by doubling down on efficiency (more management), but by inserting some effectiveness (leadership) into it. Invest in creating the vision or find someone who already has a vision and let that serve as a True North.

The Perfect Team

When vision meets delivery or better yet, when management meets leadership, that’s where we have a disruption of industries and eventually of the world. Steve Jobs or Elon Musk didn’t create stuff alone, they had their teams which created a reality out of their visions. In today’s world, it’s crucial to have both.

So tell me, are you doing things right or are you doing the right things? Comment below!

Bruno Boksic is an expert habit builder who was covered in the biggest personal development publications like Lifehack, Addicted2Success, Goalcast, Pick The Brain. If you want to build life-long habits, Growthabits is the first place to visit.

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Success Advice

Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)

The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

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Why one-size-fits-all leadership doesn’t work
Image Credit: Midjourney

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)

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Success Advice

What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)

Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

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When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
Image Credit: Midjourney

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

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