1. Managing People is a Mistake
By Jose Villanueva Alcedo, M.B.A./T.M.
CEO, YouKaizen.com
The notion that managers are called managers when they have people reporting to them is
a misnomer. The title, Manager, has basically two responsibilities, which if misapplied
could cause ineffectiveness. These responsibilities are: Management and Leadership.
The difference between these two responsibilities has been analyzed by the author in
order to share his insights based upon his 45 years of experience in industry and his
association with various groups of people in his church, professional societies, family,
and his Bible study, and other literary publications.
It doesn’t matter whether or not you are in Management, Teams, Coaching,
Entrepreneurship, Community Leadership, Church Leadership, Government, and so on;
to know the difference between management and leadership is of paramount importance.
It’s more so essentially necessary for parents to understand the difference in order to
enhance the upbringing of their children.
From observations, management and leadership are used interchangeably. In the
business industry, the title of a Manager is given to positions with supervising and
functional responsibilities. The problem lies when managing overshadows leading.
Realize that these are parallel responsibilities that go hand in hand; if misapplied could
cause chaos.
The big difference: Managers should lead people and manage things and
processes. Behind the scenes, the author has asked at random several persons, which
have positions in business and community, in the hopes of learning their philosophy on
management and leadership, by giving a scenario that an organization is composed
mainly of people, processes, and materials. A few directors or managers in separate
meetings were asked: Which of these three components (people, processes, and

2. materials) should you manage? The author has received various answers. These people
have been in their career for decades and have been very successful as experts in their
field of work. However, most answers came as a surprise because although these people
have actually demonstrated leadership in their work, they thought they could manage
people.
In his recent workshop for businessmen and university professors in the Far East, the
author asked similar question and the answer was managers manage people. The author
told them that managers should not manage people and they said this was new to them. I
think, may be because the work manage is a misnomer, which to them means managing
and leading are the same.
Leadership is not the same as Management. Leadership comes from a command of a
higher authority such as company vision, mission, goals, strategies, and so on. When an
organization doesn’t have command guidelines and capable processes in place, managers
resort to manage people because of crises situations. These are real-world situations.
Over the years, the author has seen many incidents where managers went back and forth
between managing and leading people. In the author’s own perspective, the main reason
is the lack of concerted effort, which is focusing on processes and improving them.
Observations reveal the following reasons why managers can’t lead: (a) Lack of
processes in place that can sustain changing demands; (b) Lack of advance training or
continuous training of people to face constant changes in technological advancement; (c)
There is no direction from higher management or higher authority; (d) Managers fear that
their subordinates will compete with them; (e) Don’t know how to lead; (f) Time is
consumed in firefighting within the organization; (g) Ego and love to command; (h)
Managers could not lead by examples due to their lack of training and proficiency; (i)
Business deterioration due to entropy.
Understanding the law of nature about Entropy can help prevent business
deterioration. Entropy is the potential energy that is not available for work. Thus, in a
closed thermodynamic system, entropy deteriorates due to degradation. It is a physical

3. law of nature that if entropy is left untouched could steadily deteriorate. Therefore,
entropy does not do any good.
The bad effect of entropy is analogous to disorder in a business system. Like entropy,
businesses decline in performance because of degradation. It needs to be reinforced from
outside the system in order to maintain its effectiveness, [1]. Deterioration happens in
many aspects of a business system in all levels, whether the business is new or old.
As businesses run on people so as their skills. Good people skills matter in business.
Deterioration in skills is a natural process, especially in fast changing technological
advances. Therefore, people training and retraining should be an ongoing process on the
job. People refer to employees and management. They both should have an ongoing
process to fight entropy.
Business disorder (entropy) happens when management starts managing people
instead of leading. Fight entropy by having managers manage processes but lead
employees.
Dr. W. Edwards Deming, quality guru created management philosophies that are
described Deming’s 14-point methodology. These philosophies teach organizations the
strategies of implementing quality programs, by creating an environment of trust and
teamwork within the organization. The following are strategic guidelines that focus on
improving processes, employees, management, and systems: (1) Create a constancy of
purpose toward improvement of product and service. (2) Adopt a philosophy. (3) Cease
dependence on inspection to achieve quality. (4) End the practice of awarding business
on the basis of price tag. (5) Improve constantly and forever, every process for planning,
production and service. (6) Institute training on the job. (7) Adopt and institute
leadership. (8) Drive out fears so that everyone may work effectively for the company.
(9) Break down barriers between departments. (10) Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and
targets for the work force. (11) Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor
and numerical goals for management. (12) Remove barriers that rob people of pride of

4. workmanship. (13) Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement for
everyone. (14) Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation.
This methodology, designed by Dr. Deming, sustains organizations’ transformation to
continuous improvement. It points out that the organization and the individual worker
must work together, as a team, for a constant improvement of whatever they do, [2].
Studies show that people respond to leadership. At work, the author has trained
people of multicultural background and different languages than his own and was very
successful in showing them how to perform their jobs by showing examples. Experience
shows that people desire to be heard on their ideas and would like to participate from
within, not just being told. People welcomes being in teams and leadership by example.
Jesus Christ led by examples. His leadership comes from a command of a higher
authority; the highest authority is God. To support his point in the above discussions, the
author wants to show you the following verses where leadership by modeling is applied:
“The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.”
ISAIAH 11:6
“Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and
glorify your heavenly Father.” MATTHEW 5:16
“Showing yourself as a model of good deeds in every respect, with integrity in your
teaching, dignity,” TITUS 2:7
“But among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the
youngest, and the leader as the servant.” LUKE 22:26
In conclusion, leadership and management must go hand in hand. They are not the
same thing. However they are linked, and complementary. Any effort to separate the two
is likely to cause more problems than solve. The manager’s job is to plan, organize and
coordinate, and improve processes. The leader’s job is to inspire and motivate.
The late management guru, Peter Drucker, has identified the emergence of the
knowledge worker, and the profound difference that would cause in the way business was

5. organized. Mr. Ducker said that with the rise of knowledge worker, one does not manage
people. The task is to lead people. And the goal is to make productive the specific
strengths and knowledge of every individual.” [3]
In today’s economic condition, where value to customers comes from knowledge and
skills of the people - the workers, management and leadership are not easily separated.
And people look to their managers wearing both hats - management and leadership hats.
Workers have pride in their work but they want leadership to define the purpose of their
work and also nurture skills, develop talent and inspire results. Managers must organize
work and improve processes, remove causes of inefficiencies.
Managers and Leaders are the same person who is a professional that can lead people
and manage processes and things. In order to sustain his leadership, he should have his
purpose and direction aligned with the commands of higher authority. People
empowerment is the key to leadership.
References:
[1] Competitive Edge, by Jose Villanueva Alcedo, MBA/TM, Publish America, U.S.A.,
2011.
[2] Out of the Crises, by W. E. Deming, Cambridge, Massachusetts of Technology, 1986.
[3] “The Wall Street Journal Guide to Management” by Alan Murray, published by
Harper Business.
www.YouKaizen.com

6. organized. Mr. Ducker said that with the rise of knowledge worker, one does not manage
people. The task is to lead people. And the goal is to make productive the specific
strengths and knowledge of every individual.” [3]
In today’s economic condition, where value to customers comes from knowledge and
skills of the people - the workers, management and leadership are not easily separated.
And people look to their managers wearing both hats - management and leadership hats.
Workers have pride in their work but they want leadership to define the purpose of their
work and also nurture skills, develop talent and inspire results. Managers must organize
work and improve processes, remove causes of inefficiencies.
Managers and Leaders are the same person who is a professional that can lead people
and manage processes and things. In order to sustain his leadership, he should have his
purpose and direction aligned with the commands of higher authority. People
empowerment is the key to leadership.
References:
[1] Competitive Edge, by Jose Villanueva Alcedo, MBA/TM, Publish America, U.S.A.,
2011.
[2] Out of the Crises, by W. E. Deming, Cambridge, Massachusetts of Technology, 1986.
[3] “The Wall Street Journal Guide to Management” by Alan Murray, published by
Harper Business.
www.YouKaizen.com