Leadership and Management
What you must know
Leadership sets direction and inspires; management controls resources and processes. Know leadership styles and when each fits: transformational (idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration), transactional (contingent reward, management by exception), servant, situational, democratic versus autocratic versus laissez-faire. Know the management functions - planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling - plus practical tools: SWOT analysis (strengths and weaknesses internal; opportunities and threats external), Gantt charts, logic models, strategic plans, line-item and program budgets, and grant management. Understand delegation, supervision and constructive feedback, team development stages (forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning), conflict-handling modes (avoiding, accommodating, competing, compromising, collaborating), change management models such as Kotter's sequence, and quality improvement cycles like PDSA. Be able to discuss performance appraisal, staff motivation, and building organizational capacity.
Traps questions set
- Describing a management task as leadership (or the reverse).
- Placing opportunities or threats inside the organization in SWOT.
- Choosing forcing or avoiding when the situation calls for collaboration.
- Delegating a task while retaining no accountability - or delegating accountability, which is impossible.
- Confusing a strategic plan with an operational workplan.
Rule of thumb
You can delegate authority and tasks; responsibility for the outcome stays with you. Delegate the "what" clearly, negotiate the "how," and set a checkpoint.
Worked example: A manager facing a budget shortfall uses a line-item review to find discretionary spending, then applies transformational framing - connecting staff to the mission - to sustain morale during cuts. Both skill sets, distinct purposes.