We often hear the word leader and manager used to mean the same thing. But are they the same? If you are good at managing people does that make you a good leader? At Justin Cobb Leadership Academy, we have some thoughts on that.
There is an easy way to define the difference between a manager and a leader. Managers have people working for them, but leaders have people who want to follow them. These are very different things.
You can be a leader without any employees. Look at community leaders who inspire those around them. Another good example is team captains in many sports. These are people who others naturally fall in behind. Because they believe in their vision, and they respect them.
You can also be a manager without anyone wanting to follow you. Many successful managers are able to get good performance from a team of people. But they may not be well-liked or respected. People may work for them but they don’t look up to them.
The important thing to understand is that you need to be both these things to be successful. Being a strong leader will get people to follow you, but it won’t get the work done. Being a good manager will get people to work, but it won’t inspire them.
You need to work on your ability to guide and push people in their day-to-day work. As well as that you need to be the example that they look to when they consider who they want to be.
Be a good leader by being honest, authentic, passionate, communicative, and hard-working. In this way you’ll show people the traits they need to develop to gain the same success that you have.
Be a good manager by being strategic, authoritative, empathetic, and decisive. Show your people what they need to do to get positive results instead of working just to work.
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