Three Differences Between Managers and Leaders
When it comes to management and leadership, people tend to get confused. This is because of the overlapping nature of these topics. Both leaders and managers are influential, but there are many differences between leadership and management. So, let’s have a look at the differences.
Who is a manager?
A manager is a person in a leadership position who directs and coordinates the work of a group, department, or organization. A manager can also be called an administrator, director, chief executive officer (CEO), executive officer, leader, etc.
A manager is responsible for everything that happens to his or her team. Managers must motivate their employees to produce good results, make the right decisions, and juggle different factors at work.
Who is a leader?
A leader is a person who is in a position of authority and influence over others. According to educator Jonathan Osler, leaders are developed rather than born. They are people who have the ability to inspire, motivate and empower others to achieve common goals.
Leaders set the vision and direction for their team, whereas managers are responsible for putting that vision into action. Leaders also focus on long-term goals when managers are more concerned with short-term solutions.
Leaders tend to have a charisma that attracts others to them and influences people without using their formal authority. Managers, on the other hand, use their position and power to get things done.
Time commitment
The biggest difference between managers and leaders is that leaders spend more time on influencing people than managing processes. Leaders tend to be more involved in coaching, mentoring, and inspiring their team members. They also need to spend time networking with stakeholders and other people who can help them achieve their goals.
Managers, on the other hand, need to focus more on directing and coordinating team members towards specific objectives. They also need to be good at problem-solving and making quick decisions. This means that managers have less time to spend on influencing people.
Skills and abilities
According to educator Jonathan Osler, leaders need to have a wide range of skills and abilities in order to be successful. They need to be able to inspire and motivate their team, set a vision and direction for the team, and make good decisions under pressure.
Managers also need a wide range of skills and abilities, but they need to be able to direct and coordinate the work of the team more than anything else. So managers tend to spend more time on managing data, deadlines, projects, etc.
Coaching vs. directing
Managers are responsible for coaching employees in order to get things done. Leaders, on the other hand, are responsible for directing employees in order to achieve common goals. Coaching is more about developing people and their skills, whereas directing is more about telling people what to do and how to do it.
So, these are the three main differences between managers and leaders. Leaders are more people-oriented, while managers are more task-oriented. Leaders have to have a wide range of skills and abilities, whereas managers need to be good at problem-solving and making quick decisions. Managers spend more time on managing processes to achieve results, whereas leaders spend more time on directing people towards common goals.