ABSTRACT
This chapter tells the story how the distinction between management and leadership became so popular. The central point of reference in telling this story is the so-called charismatic leader. The etymology of the words 'leader' and 'leadership' are extremely complex, partly because their contemporary meanings have developed not only from their own roots but also from translations from other languages, such as the Greek hegemonia, 'hegemony', and the Latin ducere, 'to guide'. As an academic community, relatively independent from psychology and sociology, the study of leadership came into its own from the 1940s onwards, mostly within the US. The figure of the charismatic leader offers a model of thinking about leadership where leadership becomes a force that is independent from any form of organization. The contrasting figure to the charismatic leader is the manager who contributes to the organization by exercising certain pre-established tasks such as planning, staffing or controlling.
