Authority or leadership?

Dan Hotchkiss has an interesting piece up at the Alban Blog reflecting on distinctions between authority and leadership. He notes, for instance, that <blockquote>Managers use their authority by making decisions; leaders exceed their authority by making others ponder troubling questions. Managers calm people by resolving ambiguity; leaders often frustrate people by refusing to decide quickly what can only be solved slowly. The most important challenges are too big for individual decision-makers to address alone. That’s where leaders come in to bring the whole group’s gifts to bear.</blockquote>