What is the Difference Between a Leader and a Manager
There is a difference between being a leader, and being a manager.
We define a "leader" as "the person in a team who is responsible for setting the goals, communicating them to the rest of the team, inspiring the team to achieve the goal, and acting as a positive role model" Napoleon Bonaparte would be an example of a leader.
A manager, on the other hand, is "The person in a team who is responsible for organising and planning and implementing the achievement of the goal, in the most efficient manner possible".
Most people need to have both leadership and management qualities
Your leadership qualities are a measure of your ability:
- To set goals
- To communicate in a persuasive manner
- To inspire others to take action in the direction of your goals
- To act as a positive role model to others
Your management qualities are a measure of your ability:
- To organise resources
- To plan ahead
- To prioritise tasks
- To delegate the right job to the right people
- To get the job done, on time, and to the proper standard, without too much drama
Some people are good leaders but terrible managers
Some people are inspirational, in that they come up with good ideas, but they are not good managers, they don't have any practical plans to make their grand visions a reality.
Some people are good managers, but terrible leaders
These types are good with systems; good at process; but not good with people. They antagonise and disrespect others; so their plans go awry, because they cannot secure the cooperation of the rest of the team.
You need to be both a good leader and a good manager
You need to develop yourself in both fields, so that you can easily combine the two sets to become the perfect blend of inspirational leader, and practical manager.
To become an effective leader manager is a worthwhile goal.
You need to combine your leadership and management skills so that you are more able:
- To set goals and achieve them
- To communicate in a clear and persuasive manner
- To inspire others to take action in the direction of your ideas and goals
- To act as a positive role model to others
- To show them, rather than tell them, how it's done
- To organise resources
- To be an efficient time manager
- To plan ahead
- To prioritise tasks into their proper order
- To delegate the right job to the right people
- To get the job done, on time, and to the proper standard, without too much drama
The meaning of Leadership
Leadership is the act of selecting a clear, distinct and valuable goal, and then inspiring other people to act to achieve the goal. Leadership therefore requires the ability to effectively communicate, so that people understand the goal and are motivated to act in accordance with it.
The meaning of management
Management is the art of proper planning and efficient implementation of the plan.
Management is the act of organising, prioritising and preparing resources; arranging for all the actions necessary to achieve the goal, (which was set out by the leadership) to be taken, in the correct way, and in the correct order, so as to achieve the goal in the most efficient manner possible.
What is a Leader-Manager?
The ideal would be to become a leader-manager: a person who combines the qualities of leadership with the qualities of management. Such a person would tend to do well in whatever organisation he or she worked.
Leader-managers are those special people who have both sets of abilities
So a Leader-manager is defined as:
"A member of a team or organisation who is primarily responsible for the communication of a clear goal, together with the logical, enthusiastic and intelligent organisation of resources, that will achieve the goal in the most efficient manner possible."
What are the attributes of a leader-manager?
The leader-manager is the person with the combined qualities of leadership and management.
They therefore have the following six major abilities, in abundance:
- The ability to set worthwhile and valuable long range goals
- The ability to communicate the goals to others so that people want to get involved
- The ability to build practical plans of action that will achieve the goal, in the most efficient manner possible
- The ability to manage difficult people, or people whose performance drops below standard, or whose actions contradict the plan: the ability to handle conflict
- The ability to manage oneself: meaning, the ability to develop self-confidence, self-motivation, courage, determination and optimism
- The ability to inspire, in others, the same feelings; the ability to make other people feel more confident, more motivated, more determined and more optimistic
If you'd like to become a better leader and/or manager, we offer our Leadership & Management course. For more information, visit our course page.
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Further Reading in Leadership and Management
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How and Why to Set Goals
Goals provide direction, motivation, and focus. They clarify expectations, guide decision-making, and measure progress. Setting goals enhances personal and professional growth, fosters a sense of purpose, and boosts overall productivity.
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Management training course
Management Training Course Management training is important because managing tasks and managing people, is itself, a difficult task. Good management skills are difficult to develop. If you can find a person who has developed all the major management skills to a high degree, then you have found a person who is...
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What Qualities do Leaders Need?
A clear vision, superb communication skills and decisiveness are just some of the qualities a leader needs. Do you have the personal attributes required to be a leader? Take our quiz to find out.
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The Double-Edged Sword of Humour in Business
It has been proven that employees admire and feel more motivated by leaders who use humour in an effective and positive manner. However this can backfire if leaders clown around or make jokes at the expense of others.
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Leadership skills
Leadership Skills Leadership skills are a unique blend of attributes, and abilities, that, when combined into one person, allows that person, to function as a leader. If the person possesses, by nature, all the attributes and abilities, then we say he/she is lucky to be a born leader. If the person...
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