Leaders & Mangers

When you are promoted into a role where you are managing people, you don’t automatically become a leader. There are important distinctions between managing and leading people. Leadership and management are often a confused terminology, but it is a little clear when we use the term “Leader” and “manager”. Leadership quality and managerial qualities are entirely different set of traits and soft skills. In another word; “A good leader may not be a good manger”. In an organisation, we can see both management and leadership. There is a manager in a department and many leaders who work with their teams in assisting the organisation in the accomplishment of their goals

Leadership is a quality of influencing, so that the objectives are attained willingly and enthusiastically. Management is managing things in the best possible manner. It is getting the work done through and with others. One of the major difference between leadership and management, is management is for formal and organized group of people, whereas leadership is for both formal and informal groups.

Leaders are willing to be themselves. They are self-aware and work actively to build their exclusive and illustrious personal brand. They are easy in their own shoes and willing to stand out. They’re trustworthy and transparent. Managers copycat the capabilities and behaviors they learn from others and adopt their leadership style rather than defining it.

Leaders know that people who work for them have the answers or can find them. They see their people as capable and are positive about their potential. They resist the temptation to tell their people what to do and how to do it. Managers assign tasks and provide direction on how to accomplish them. Leaders have people who go beyond following them; their followers become their wild fans and keen promoters, helping them build their brand and achieve their goals. Their fans help them increase their visibility and credibility. Managers have staff who follow directions and seek to please the boss.

Leaders paint a picture of what they see as possible and inspire and engage people in spinning that vision into truth. They think beyond what people do. They trigger people to be part of something bigger. They know that high-functioning teams can achieve a lot more working together than people working separately. Managers focus on setting, measuring and achieving goals. They control situations to reach or exceed their objectives.

Leaders are proud disrupters. Innovation is objective. They hug change and know that even if things are working, there could be a better way forward. And they understand and accept the fact that changes to the system often create ripples. Managers stick with what works, refining systems, structures and processes to make them better.

Leaders are willing to try new things even if they may fail miserably. They know that failure is often a step on the path to success. Managers work to minimize risk. They seek to avoid or control problems rather than embracing them. Leaders have willingness. They do what they say they are going to do and stay driven toward a big, often very distant goal. They remain inspired without receiving regular rewards. Managers work on shorter-term goals, seeking more regular acknowledgment or praises.

Leaders remain inquisitive and seek to remain relevant in an ever-changing world of work. They seek out people and information that will expand their thinking. Managers often duplicate on what made them successful, perfecting existing skills and accepting proven behaviors. Leaders focus on the stakeholders, they need to be encouraged to realize their vision. They know who their stakeholders are and spend most of their time with them. They build loyalty and trust by reliably delivering on their promise. Managers focus on the structures necessary to set and achieve goals. They focus on the systematic and ensure systems are in place to attain desired outcomes. They work with persons and their goals and objectives.

“Leaders have people follow them while managers have people who work for them”