Are you a Leader or a Manager?
‘Leader’ and ‘Manager’ are two of the most common terms used in business and beyond. Often, these terms are used interchangeably, but sometimes there may be a positive connotation towards being a ‘leader’ and more negative connotations towards being a ‘manager’. When put head to head, there are distinctive differences. But is being a leader better than being a manager? What is the difference?
There are many traits and behaviors that make up a strong leader, but some of the common key characteristics include:
Honesty & Integrity: Establishing trust and belief from people, in yourself and your vision that you are guiding them.
Vision: Knowing where you are, where you are heading, and how you and your team can create the path for the future.
Inspiration: Inspiring your team to work hard and achieve their best by ensuring they understand their role in the bigger picture.
Ability to Challenge: Being unafraid to stand out from the crowd, challenge norms, and have the courage to think outside the box.
Communication Skills: Keeping your team informed of the journey, where you are, where you are heading, and sharing any challenges or hurdles you may encounter along the way.
As for managers, some of the common key characteristics we see include:
Executing Vision: Taking a strategic vision, or creative ideas, and being able to practically break it down into a roadmap to be followed by the team.
Ability to Direct: Overseeing day-to-day work efforts, reviewing resources needed, and anticipating needs along the way.
Process Management: Establishing work rules, processes, standards, and operating procedures.
People Focused: Looking after your team, their needs, and making sure they feel heard and involved.
Overall, the main difference between leaders and managers is that leaders have people who follow them, whereas managers have people who work for them. By definition, to lead is ‘the initiative in an action; an example for others to follow’, and to manage is ‘to be responsible for controlling or organizing someone or something’.
So, should I be a manager or a leader?
A successful businessperson must be both a strong leader and manager. Leadership is about getting people to appreciate and believe in your vision and to work with you to achieve your goals. Managing is more about overseeing and making sure the day-to-day tasks are happening as they should. Leadership and management complement one another, and the ideal is a combination of both. A great manager also has leadership skills, but a leader will often have to undertake managerial roles. When someone is in ‘management mode’, they are working towards short-term goals and objectives. When someone is in ‘leadership mode’, they are envisioning ideas of the future and laying out the groundwork for others to join along the journey of attaining that future goal or idea.
Although being a manager is not negative, a good manager will always strive to have leadership qualities. So, are you both a leader and manager, or one or the other? Some key leadership qualities we can all learn, no matter what role we’re in, as International Leadership coach Lolly Daskal outlines, are:
Loyalty
Engagement
Authenticity
Dedication
Empathy
Respect
Servanthood
Humility
Integrity
Perseverance