Management development involves teaching management skills and key qualifications. This is done through management training or management coaching. In this way, the action repertoire of executives and junior executives is expanded in order to act appropriately and purposefully, especially in difficult situations.

Leadership is generally considered to be a person’s psychological and social ability in dealing with people. In addition to personality traits of the leader, other factors such as professional authority, situational conditions, the use of leadership techniques and social relationships have a decisive importance for successful leadership, which thus becomes a complex social process. (Gabler Business Dictionary)

As a rule, managers fulfill specialist, management and leadership tasks. In the implementation, these areas of responsibility are often mixed together. In practice, the aim should be to achieve a balance between the various areas of responsibility that is appropriate to the general conditions and as balanced as possible. Many managers are not sufficiently aware of these areas of responsibility, despite existing job descriptions and requirement profiles. In many cases, technical and management tasks take up a very large proportion of time, while leadership tasks (especially those relating to employee management) are neglected.

Tasks within the scope of employee management include:

• agreeing on goals (short-, medium- and long-term)
• planning (searching for possible ways and solutions to implement)
• deciding (selection of the best way, the best alternative solution)
• realizing (converting the decision into measures), as well as
• controlling (checking of the TARGET and the ACTUAL state)