Abstract
The article examined the conceptual and functional differences between the concepts of “leader” and “guide” in the context of modern educational management. The relevance of the topic is due to the need to rethink managerial roles in the context of the transformation of educational systems, the growing importance of strategic vision, value-oriented management and new forms of professional interaction. Despite the widespread presence of the term “guidance” in pedagogical research, the concept of “leadership” remains methodologically vague, which complicates the construction of effective management models. The aim of the study was to determine the conceptual differences between the phenomena of guidance and leadership, as well as to empirically identify the leadership orientations of managers in the educational environment of Ukraine. The methodological basis of the work was a combination of content analysis of scientific sources, etymological and semantic analysis, philosophical hermeneutics and comparative research of management paradigms. The empirical part was based on a survey of 126 respondents from three professional groups: heads of educational institutions, methodologists, and teachers who demonstrated informal guidance (managerial leadership). Three psychometrically validated instruments were used: COPO-2024, ISV-12 and IMM-10. Descriptive statistics methods, correlation, factor, and cluster analysis were applied. The results revealed three integral types of management orientations: semantic mentors, reflective strategists and creative missionaries. It is proven that guidance was formed as a multidimensional phenomenon that combined strategic vision, value-humanistic orientation and the ability to create a semantic space for development. The results obtained made it possible to formulate the authors’ model of the distinction of concepts, in which guidance was interpreted as a phenomenon that integrates intellectual vision, the ability to set the direction of development and create an ideological framework for the formation of managers. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of applying the refined conceptual differentiation in management, educational management and strategic planning