Yes, it is possible to be a manager and good leader

“Is there a difference between leadership and management? I think most company bosses make big mistakes when exercising these two roles and end up affecting business.”

Beyond the literal meaning of the words leader and manager, you have asked a question more suitable for an MBA class than for a column such as this one.

For that reason and in the belief that you have access to “the MBA” answer to this question, we will look at another aspect of the question from the point of view of “a life coach”. After all, any basic text in management will give you a detailed and adequate response to your seemingly academic question.

Njoroge Regeru, is a prominent lawyer in Nairobi. A few weeks ago, he released a book on the life and times of his great grandfather Muthamaki Waiyaki wa Hinga. It is a fascinating story of a truly great leader and freedom fighter.

It is a story of a man who had a vision far ahead of his times. He was a true leader. With a parentage from the Maasai of northern Kenya, his family had migrated southwards in the 19th Century through Nyeri and Murang’a, and settled in Kiambu and thus bordering the southern Maasai of Kajiado.

Briefly, the story is told of his contact with early colonial powers, and how he resisted theft of the resources of his people by the white man.

During one of the (physical) encounters, this leader was injured, captured and taken to Kibwezi, where he died, or was killed.

Waiyaki Way in Nairobi is named after the leader who walked that route to his death in 1892.

Daniel arap Moi is best remembered as the second president of Kenya. Few remember him as a leader in the education sector, a position he holds with other giants of the time such as Jeremiah Nyaga. Many of their students went on to achieve leadership positions in post independent Kenya.

More recently, Eddah Gachukia comes to mind as a leader in education, if only because, from humble beginnings, she, with her family have created a university. Riara University started off as a kindergarten on Riara Road.

The medical field has its own giants who have shown exceptional leadership skills. The late Joseph M Mungai carried bodies of humans (cadavers) from Uganda to Kenya so that a medical school could be started in Kenya in 1967, as was the wish of then President Jomo Kenyatta.

At the university level, the names of academic giants of yesteryear must include David Wasawo and Bethwell Ogot. Their leadership roles in academic circles are hard to match. A list of Kenyan leaders is incomplete without the name of Wangari Maathai who made history as a Nobel Prize laureate. Karura Forest and Uhuru Park were in part saved because of her leadership.

All these Kenyans have a number of characteristics in common. One of them is the fact that they have left a mark in society. To put it differently, these are men and women who lived a life that left a legacy of one kind or another. They have demonstrated leadership. Each of them had a vision for Kenya.

The foregoing now leads us to the question of when leadership skills make themselves manifest in life, and the greater discussion as to whether leaders are born or made. The latter is a difficult question and we will not address it here.

Any kindergarten teacher knows that in a class of say, 15 children, a leader will emerge for whatever reason. He/she might be the strongest, fastest, funniest or even loudest, and the other children simply act as though he/she is the natural leader.

At the other extreme of life, Jim Collins in his book Good to Great defines leadership in the corporate world. Such a leader is highly capable, works in a team, and relevant to your question, is also, a competent manager. In this regard, he organises people and resources towards a stated goal.

A leader thus defined, has a clear and compelling vision, and, in conclusion shows the paradox of greatness and humility.

A leader in this case is the one who sets the pace and direction towards a destination. Once the vision and direction are determined, the rest is up to the manager to herd the flock in the predetermined destination.

As often happens in life, the foregoing is too brief and simple to capture the real world experience where most leaders are also good managers.