Something happen last week that made me think off the difference between a manager and a Leader again. I will write about this in two blogs (otherwise it is to long).
First I thought I grab the thought on (at least for me)………………………….
What is a Leader?
- Guides others toward a common goal,
- Showing the way by example,
- Creates an environment in which team members feel actively involved in the entire process.
- Is not the boss of the team
- Is the person that is committed to carrying out the mission.
Qualities of a good leader
Listens:
- Open minded to new ideas
- Open minded to new ways of doing things
- Everyone in the group will be heard.
- Listen to ideas
- Accept constructive criticisms.
Focused:
- Remind yourself and the group of the goals and mission.
- You need to on track and keep others on track,
- Keep the team will motivated and it be more productive.
- Schedule time to meet with your Team
- Establish and check-in about the goals you hope to achieve.
Organized:
- A leader set’s the tone for the team.
- A leader who is organized helps motivate team members to be organized as well.
Available:
- Holds frequent group and personal meetings
- Questions or concern can be addressed right away and can be handled sooner
Include others:
- As a leader, you should not do all the work.
- Poor use of time is when you do everything yourself and prevents your Venture from growing.
- Leader should work with his/her teammates
- Learn how to delegate responsibility
- Being mindful of everyone’s interests, goals and strengths.
Decisive:
- You are not always going to be able to reach a compromise.
- Don’t be afraid to make the final decision, even if some team members disagree with you.
Confident:
- Confidence is one of the most important characteristic of a leader.
- If you don’t believe in yourself and the success of your Venture, no one else will.
- Show that you are dedicated, intelligent, and proud of what you are doing.
Please give me a day and I will have part II…what is a manager.
My personal experience with this is pretty simple. Managers make sure people are going up and down the ladder as efficiently as possible. Leaders make sure the ladder is leaning on the right wall.
The other thing I have found is that sometimes a leader forgets to lead and becomes a manager rather to keep their leadership position and maybe hire another manager.
For me, at it’s simplest, it is about the “How”
For leaders it is about the people
For managers it is about the process
You lead people and manage processes. Often times we try to “manage” people, and that is a mistake.
Leaders produce change and movement by creating vision; aligning people and motivating and inspiring.
Managers produce order and consistency by planning, budgeting, organizing, controlling and solving process problems.
Knowing how, and when, to do both is critical.
Bettina, This is a great topic and one that I’m passionate about! In my opinion, and it’s simply just an opinion, a manager ‘makes’ people be successful. They use their title and and position of authority to motivate. A leader, on the other hand, motivates others to be successful through inspiration and motivation. Subordinates to leaders clearly understand the ‘why’ behind the what, whereas the subordinates to managers often only understand the what.
It’s all about trust and respect. Unless we trust and respect who we work with there is no leader.
A leader will be followed by its employees. A manager will be obeyed by his collaborators.