Between leaders and managers

I REFER to the recent articles pertaining to leaders and managers, particularly as to whether they are distinctly different, “Leadership vs management: Striking a balance” (Leaderonomics, The Star, April 15).

A number of leadership theorists have propounded the argument that there is a distinct difference between “managers” and “leaders”. In fact, some, like Warren Bennis, Burt Nanus and Abraham Zaleznick, have made “managers” and “leaders” to be of vastly different breeds. I would like to refute this argument by simply going back to the basics of management and leadership.