Leadership vs. management: Are they different?

Are you a leader, or a manager? How do you decide? What’s the difference—and why does it matter?

We often conflate leadership and management. Most of us use the two terms interchangeably with little downside. When we talk about leaders, we usually mean managers, and when we address managers, we think of them as leaders. But while the same person can be both, they don’t necessarily have to be.