Mind of a Manager Soul of a Leader by Hickman (1992) refers to the differences between a manager and a leader. Hickman proposes that each possess uniquely different personality characteristics that need to be recognized and blended in an effort to avoid the natural tension that would otherwise develop between the two. Although these qualities and concepts are applied in business, organizational settings, the principles are also applicable to a school setting. The school administrator may need to consider both managerial and leadership differences and abilities.
Hickman states that a distorted picture of managers presents them as dull, impersonal, plodding, tedious, unimaginative, and stagnant souls. Leaders on the other hand are presented as inspiring, personable, charismatic, creative, and visionary. A more accurate picture would portray the manager as analytical, structured, controlled, deliberate, and orderly, and the leader as more experimental, visionary, flexible, uncontrolled, and creative. Both managers and leaders are viewed by Hickman as having minds and souls, but each would tend to emphasize one over the other while functioning in an organization. The manager would emphasize the mind and the leader would emphasize the soul within an organization (p. 3, 7).
Although Hickman attempts to present positive characteristics for both manager and leader, it appears that he still provides implications of a soulless manager and mindless leader, which might be met with objection by both. Attempts to segregate and highlight possible strengths may have been overzealous and lead to a minimization of tendencies for parts of all characteristics to be found within each individual. Although it is more likely that managers and leaders both contain a mind and a soul, each individual would have a unique strength to offer, and all would benefit from its utilization in harmony with others. The school administrator might therefor...