Leader vs Manager

Both a manager and a leader may know the business well. But the leader must know it better and in a different way. S/he must grasp the essential facts and the underlying forces that determine the past and present trends in the business, so that s/he can generate a vision and a strategy to bring about its future. One telling sign of a good leader is an honest attitude towards the facts, towards objective truth. A subjective leader obscures the facts for the sake of narrow self-interest, partisan interest or prejudice.

Effective leaders continually ask questions, probing all levels of the organization for information, testing their own perceptions, and rechecking the facts. They talk to their constituents. They want to know what is working and what is not. They keep an open mind for serendipity to bring them the knowledge they need to know what is true. An important source of information for this sort of leader is knowledge of the failures and mistakes that are being made in their organization.

To survive in the twenty-first century, we are going to need a new generation of leaders — leaders, not managers. The distinction is an important one. Leaders conquer the context — the turbulent, ambiguous surroundings that sometimes seem to conspire against us and will surely suffocate us if we let them — while managers surrender to it.

Leaders investigate reality, taking in the pertinent factors and analyzing them carefully. On this basis they produce visions, concepts, plans, and programs. Managers adopt the truth from others and implement it without probing for the facts that reveal reality.

There is profound difference — a chasm — between leaders and managers. A good manager does things right. A leader does the right things. Doing the right things implies a goal, a direction, an objective, a vision, a dream, a path, a reach.

Lots of people spend their lives climbing a ladder — and then they get to the top of the wrong wall. Most losing organizations are over-managed and under-led. Their managers accomplish the wrong things beautifully and efficiently. They climb the wrong wall.

Managing is about efficiency. Leading is about effectiveness. Managing is about how. Leading is about what and why. Management is about systems, controls, procedures, policies, and structure. Leadership is about trust — about people.

Leadership is about innovating and initiating. Management is about copying, about managing the status quo. Leadership is creative, adaptive, and agile. Leadership looks at the horizon, not just the bottom line.

Leaders base their vision, their appeal to others, and their integrity on reality, on the facts, on a careful estimate of the forces at play, and on the trends and contradictions. They develop the means for changing the original balance of forces so that their vision can be realized.

A leader is someone who has the capacity to create a compelling vision that takes people to a new place, and to translate that vision into action. Leaders draw other people to them by enrolling them in their vision. What leaders do is inspire people, empower them.

They pull rather than push. This "pull" style of leadership attracts and energizes people to enroll in a vision of the future. It motivates people by helping them identify with the task and the goal rather than by rewarding or punishing them.

There is a profound difference between management and leadership, and both are important "To manage" means "to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct." "Leading" is "influencing, guiding in direction, course, action, opinion." The distinction is crucial.

Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing. The difference may be summarized as activities of vision and judgment — effectiveness —versus activities of mastering routines — efficiency. The list below indicates key words that further make the distinction between the two functions:

  • The manager administers; the leader innovates.
  • The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.
  • The manager maintains; the leader develops.
  • The manager accepts reality; the leader investigates it.
  • 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 has his or her eye 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.

Good Leader

Good Leaders have a clearly defined sense of purpose to their lives. And it’s not so important what you do for a living, as how you feel about what you do. Leaders have an inherent power from being clearly directed. One got to have essential personal qualities like passion, humor, and empathy, strength of character, general maturity, patience, wisdom, common sense, trustworthiness, reliability, creativity, sensitivity.

  • Become a visionary – an architect of the future. Begin at the end and work backwards.
  • Become a persuasive communicator. Sell your vision to your followers, speak their language, and get them involved in creating a shared vision.
  • Develop the ability to empower people, rather than trying to control people. Involvement creates commitment, and empowerment starts with good, factual feedback.
  • Create innovative change, understanding that people resist change because they fear the journey. Encourage creativity and involvement as they travel their new destination.
  • Achieve your maximum potential by continually learning. People invest more in their appearance than in their own personal growth. Learn from all areas of your life.
  • In the short term, ask what three things your team will accomplish under your leadership. For the long term, ask what three things your team has accomplished as a result of your input and influence.
  • Measure individual performance based on specific targets – giving the bigger picture.
  • Actively listen to people, with head and heart; leaders who listen show they trust their people.
  • Encourage mentoring schemes to build alliances in your organisation.
  • Let individuals participate in decision-making, both large and small.
  • Establish task forces and teams - encouraging input from every corner ensures your success grows exponentially.

Know that,
when you give credit where credit is due,
more credit goes to the leaders who make it happen.
Focus the spotlight on your followers,
and the reflection on you is even brighter.

  • good human relations
  • looking after your staff
  • give your personal touch
  • concentrate on people
  • be friendly
  • don't forget people's names
  • never run down an idea
  • don't boss around
  • it takes courage to be a good boss
  • give chances - they may be stuck sometimes
  • share responsibility
  • encourage initiative
  • always remember - action speaks louder than words
  • cocksure and dogmatic
  • trust is essential
  • distrust breeds distrust
  • is your staff working FOR you or WITH you?
  • consulting others
  • don't be impulsive
  • be consistent - inconsistency creates bad feelings
  • force does not work (might is not always right)
  • think over any action
  • make yourself clear
  • incentives

Be a good Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

A leader's job often includes changing your people's attitudes and behavior. Some suggestions to accomplish this:

  • Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
  • Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.
  • Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
  • Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
  • Let the other person save face.
  • Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise."
  • Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
  • Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
  • Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

Six Principles of Leadership

  • You must have a: personal philosophy, or religious faith, and/or a set of beliefs that are at the core of who you are ­ that you will not compromise ­ no matter what the situation or circumstance! From a political perspective, this is the opposite of managing by what the latest public opinion polls say.
  • You must have courage and understand what courage is and what it is not. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the ability to manage your fear and not become paralyzed by it, to accomplish what you need to - or must - accomplish.
  • Develop (if you don't already have it) an optimistic attitude. Few will follow a pessimist. Personal optimism can be created, or "willed" by you, - as it is not necessarily the nature of someone's personality to be naturally optimistic ­ especially in times of crisis. An optimist expects to find solutions to problems, not reasons why problems (no matter how severe) cannot be resolved.
  • Relentless preparation! You must be prepared. Leadership is not acting on "unprepared or untrained intuition". Don't prepare and plan for only 1 scenario ­ prepare for many. If the unexpected happens ­ even if the actual situation is different from what you have prepared for ­ you can adapt and lead much faster (and swiftness of action is very important) if you have prepared for more than 1 or 2 scenarios.
  • Teamwork! Surround yourself with talented people. Being put in charge of something significant should be a point of humility, not self-aggrandizement. The key is to understand your weaknesses (have others you trust point them out to you if you don't know for sure what they are ­ as the leader with no self perceived weaknesses deceives only themselves), and balance your weaknesses with people who have strengths in areas you don't. Articulate your vision and a simple set of principles that you want to have guide them, and then trust your people to make good decisions in areas around their strength. Demand and expect teamwork toward achieving the goals that are focused on the greater good of what you and your team have been entrusted to manage.
  • Communication! People need to know on a regular basis (or be reminded) of where you stand on important issues in clear and unambiguous terms. Emotional communication is just as important as verbal or written communication ­ Mr. Giuliani called this principle: "Weddings are optional ­ funerals are mandatory!" He talked about going to almost all of the funeral/memorial services for deceased New York fire fighters, policemen, and EMS employees coming out of 9/11. His logic was: 1 - it was the right thing to do, and 2 - that people appreciate it more and it has a more lasting impact when you reach out during the tough times, not just during the good times. Even if, as is often the case, you don't know what to say or how to make sense of something that seems senseless. The act of touching people during the tough times can become the glue that binds them to you when you need them to follow your leadership, especially during times of crisis or rapid change.

The boss drives group members; the leader coaches them.
The boss depends upon authority; the leader on good will.
The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm.
The boss says "I"; the leader says "we."
The boss assigns the task, the leader sets the pace.
The boss says, "Get there on time"; the leader gets there ahead of time.
The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown.
The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how.
The boss makes work a drudgery; the leader makes it a game.
The boss says, "Go"; the leader says, "Let's go." 

 

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