The Manager vs. The Leader
Category : Leadership
A boss is responsible for making sure employees do their job, and making sure the business runs efficiently and effectively; however, that’s not always the case. A leader focuses on building trust and acting as a guide to those who work under him or her; however, that’s not always the case either. You may have heard the terms manager and leader used interchangeably in business settings, but in reality they are two very different things. Here’s what you need to know about the difference between a manager and a leader.
What Is A Leader?
It’s really important for managers to understand what makes a good leader so they can lead their teams effectively, whether they’re managing one person or 1,000 people. And while we tend to think of a leader as someone who runs an entire company (and yes, that is certainly a form of leadership), there are many different kinds of leaders within any organization—and in life, too. So how do you know if you’re a leader? First, ask yourself: Am I passionate about making things better? Do I try to influence others positively and help them find solutions that work best for everyone involved? Do I care more about results than excuses?
Why We Need Leaders
While managers are crucial to any organization’s success, we often take them for granted. And yet without strong leadership, organizations fail. At one time or another, we’ve all come into contact with a manager who didn’t seem to know what he or she was doing; but rarely do we experience that same situation with leaders. In fact, people will still follow a leader even when they disagree with their ideas or feel as though they aren’t getting their due compensation for their work efforts.
How Leadership Differs From Management
According to McKinsey & Company, employees who are inspired by their managers are 12% more productive than those whose managers rely on traditional management practices. This is why being a good manager can help you earn more money and advance in your company—but it doesn’t necessarily make you a good leader. Being a good leader requires more than just effective communication and proper delegation; instead, it takes vision, empathy, and decisive action in order to get results from others. That’s why many organizations prefer to hire for leadership over management—the best leaders make it look easy while managing your day-to-day tasks is often difficult enough as it is!
Things Managers Can Learn From Leadership
Delegation is one of those things you’ve always been told to do but probably never got very good at. Good leaders use delegation as a way to get more done and learn more, while bad leaders view it as an excuse to outsource work or just avoid getting their hands dirty. Delegation can be tricky, but by following some simple guidelines you’ll find that you become better at delegating so that you can get back to doing what makes you a leader: managing people and making big decisions.
The Conclusion
When we think of our manager, we probably picture them as a boss—the one that gives us our daily tasks and yells at us when we don’t do them right. A leader, on the other hand, is someone who inspires their peers and employees to be better than they could be on their own; they look out for others in order to benefit everyone involved, including themselves. Great leaders are able to motivate those around them by making people feel invested in their company’s success. Whether it’s through a sense of accomplishment or altruism, everyone is empowered to do more than they thought possible with a leader driving them forward. As management expert Peter Drucker once said , Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. The key is identifying which category you fall into. If you’re constantly micromanaging your team and taking control of projects from above, maybe you need to take a step back . If every project can’t live up to your lofty standards, there’s nothing wrong with taking a step back so everyone else can take ownership of their work . Maybe your managers will even surprise you . On the other hand, if you know your employees trust in your leadership ability , encourage that investment by giving regular updates about projects you’re working on yourself. By giving attention to both ends of a project’s development process (as well as everything else in between), both bosses and leaders have an opportunity to lead teams into successful businesses…bosses just might have some catching up to do. Don’t forget: The best leaders aren’t always managers, but great managers should always strive to become great leaders.
Again it’s all about leadership, click here to learn more about leadership psychology.