Management and leadership are not synonymous. A manager's job is to plan, organize, and coordinate, while a leader inspires and motivates. Austrian-born American Peter Drucker—credited as the founder of modern management—best described the difference: “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” In aviation and other highly regulated hazardous industries, this matters most as it relates to creating a good safety culture.
Other academics, ranging from James Reason to Andrew Hopkins, will agree that a manager is more likely to accept status quo, whereas a core characteristic of a mindful leader is to continually challenge and improve systems and culture. The mindset of a leader is one of “chronic unease.” Likewise, really good leaders should be preoccupied with the potential for failure or possibility of a major accident.
Pilot, safety expert, consultant, and aviation journalist Stuart “Kipp” Lau writes about flight safety and airmanship for AIN.
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