# Referring to Leadership By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2022-10-23 It is easy to conflate things. It is not uncommon to refer to managers or those in positions of authority (or power) as leaders. If these terms are synonyms, there isn’t any issue with this linguistic substitution. However, if these terms share little, using them interchangeably can induce confusion. In this case, there might be a value derived from parsing a distinction. Using the term manager or the phrase position of authority refers to a person in terms of one’s officially defined, organizational function. One becomes a manager organizationally by assuming the role. In the assumption of that role or others, one inhabits a position of organizational authority. Discussing the role in these terms sets verbal and conceptual limits. First, it delimits the role to the organization. A given person has this role and corresponding authority within the organization and in the execution of one’s official duties. Second, the authority is granted by the organization, and it doesn’t necessarily reveal much about the individual holding the position. Perhaps the individual obtained the position through hard work, dedication, and excellence. Maybe the individual was given the position through a personal relationship with the owner. In either event, there is a distance between a worker and one’s manager or the person in a position of authority. These don’t hold for a leader. The term leader is more ambiguous than manager. One could reduce the definition to the point that it simply means a person in charge – much like a manager. But the term is more than that. Those advocating for treating these terms as synonyms know that leadership is viewed more positively than management, and that the sphere of leadership is greater than that given to management. One might define a leader as somebody who inspires passion and motivates directed action. A manager has subordinates; a leader has followers. Leadership is not an official position. Only the followers can make a person a leader. It entails a personal commitment to an individual. There is a great deal of literature generated on business leadership. Generically referring to managers and those in positions of authority as leaders glosses over consequential distinctions. It is clear why those in positions of power would want us to conflate these terms. It is less clear why any working person or society would wish to consider managers as leaders. #### Related Items [[Management]] [[Leadership]] [[Society]] [[Relationships]] [[Business]]