In management there is decision making, In leadership there is understanding why one takes such decisions.

Management is action centric, Leadership is purpose centric.

Leadership keeps community building in the center, Management keeps systems in the center.

A Leader inspires people, A Manager uses people.

A Leader empowers people, A Manager sees people as great resources for increased productivity.

A Leader is human sensitive, A Manager is efficiency sensitive.

A Leader delivers people, A Manager delivers results.

A Leader represents Gods compassion, trust and empowerment, A Manager represents God’s discipline, precautions and control.

In life we need to be both a manager and a leader . When subordinates misuse the compassion aspect of God, the discipline aspect of God rolls in.

A challenging situation arises when a manager has to take a decision with regards to a subordinate who he trusts and has rewarded many times previously and that subordinate is caught in indiscipline. The subordinate has got the reward for good work, but he has misused the affection of the manager, then the manger for the upkeep of order is forced to take a harsh decision.

This is painful but there is no solution other than a harsh one If he does not take a harsh decision, many subordinates may follow suit.

This was the very purpose why Krishna made Arjuna hear the Bhagavad gita -because as the executor of krishna s decision Arjuna had to deal with his most loved people not dealing wth them would only add to the suffering of more people, and eliminating them would add to Arjuna ‘s suffering.

By the grace of God Arjuna with great difficulty chose to punish those whose eyes he would never look into because of respect, because he had taken the role of manager on behalf of Krishna he had to be extremely harsh with them to the extent of awarding them with capital punishment.

In business a businessman cannot afford compassion towards his employees when they fail to produce good results. He has to make a choice to exist in business or to exit business because of sentiments towards wrong doers.

A businessman man needs to be charitable to use his resources for good reasons but if he were to be charitable towards inefficiency that would deprive him of his wealth and of his charitable disposition.

– Article by Govinda Das (ISKCON Member)