There is a difference, isn’t there? I know of many good managers, but I have met only a few really good leaders. You can train people to be good managers—most of the time—but some say leaders are born, they are not made…and I wonder if there is not some truth to that. A manager devises systems and methodologies for getting things done in the timeframe and in the ways they should using push-pull, carrot and stick methods. But leaders draw people to them like magnets and impose no restraint on those who are eager to give their best–except to point the direction and to provide encouragement along the way.
I think it is a left-brain, right-brain sort of thing. The left brain is logical and rational and learned; and the right brain is where our emotions lie. An all-left-brain manager can ensure the trains run on time in a joyless sort of way; but an all-right-brain leader (and some of us have worked for this type as well I am sure!) can be both as exhilarating and as frustrating as a roller coaster designed by a madman.
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Effective leaders need to be good managers, or they will burn out themselves and their organizations along with them; and good managers need to find that spark of leadership that inspires people to do their best, or risk having their organization’s performance to be always slightly under-achieving. Finding such centered manager-leaders is tough.
The beauty of a good strategic plan is that is does require both inspirational leadership as well as sound tactical management. Putting one together can and should draw on both elements within your organization’s volunteer and professional leadership. Done well, it is fun to see the left-brainers and the right-brainers come together in this fashion. In the end, it is not what either side really would have done if they were running the show by themselves!—but it is what their organization needs….
Leadership and management must go hand in hand. They are not the same thing. But they are necessarily linked, and complementary. Any effort to separate the two is likely to cause more problems than it solves.
Still, much ink has been spent delineating the differences. The manager’s job is to plan, organize and coordinate. The leader’s job is to inspire and motivate. In his 1989 book “On Becoming a Leader,” Warren Bennis composed a list of the differences:
- The manager administers; the leader innovates.
- The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.
- The manager maintains; the leader develops.
- The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.
- The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.
- The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.
- The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.
- The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader’s eye is on the horizon.
- The manager imitates; the leader originates.
- The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.
- The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.
- The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.
In order for you to engage your staff in providing the best service to your guests, clients or partners, you must enroll them in your vision and align their perceptions and behaviours. You need to get them excited about where you are taking them while making sure they know what’s in it for them. With smaller organizations, the challenge lies in making sure you are both leading your team as well as managing your day to day operation. Those who are able to do both, will create a competitive advantage. Are you both a leader and a manager; what would your staff say if you were to ask them?
Read Also: 10 Golden Lessons From Steve Jobs
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