Leadership Roles in an Organisation

The very essence of leadership is its purpose. And the purpose of leadership is to accomplish a task. That is what leadership does--and what it does is more important than what it is or how it works.

A General Manager has broad, overall responsibility for a business or organization. Whereas a manager may be responsible for one functional area, the General Manager is responsible for all areas.

General Managers manage through subordinate manager. However, a General Manager may have individuals reporting to him/her who are not managers.

In a hierarchy, Senior Manager falls between Manager and General Manger. The Senior Manager, like all managers, is responsible for planning and directing the work of a group of individuals, monitoring their work, and taking corrective action when necessary.

Senior Managers may direct workers directly or they may direct several supervisors who direct the workers. The Senior Manager often supervises the largest or most important group in a company.

A Manager is the person responsible for planning and directing the work of a group of individuals, monitoring their work, and taking corrective action when necessary. For many people, this is their first step into a management career.

Managers may direct workers directly or they may direct several supervisors who direct the workers. The manager must be familiar with the work of all the groups he/she supervises, but does not need to be the best in any or all of the areas. It is more important for the manager to know how to manage the workers than to know how to do their work well.

A supervisor is the lowest, or most-junior, management position. It is usually a step above lead (Accounting Supervisor is senior to Lead Accounting Specialist), but below Manager.

A supervisor is responsible for the day-to-day performance of a small group. It may be a team, or a shift. The supervisor has experience in what the group does, but is not necessarily better at it than everyone he/she supervises. The supervisor's job is to guide the group toward its goals, see that all members of the team are productive, and resolve problems as they arise.