I’ve always thought that to be a great leader meant giving orders and expecting people to carry these out with no questions asked-I couldn’t have been more wrong! So what is the difference between a manager and a leader? What distinguishes the bright leaders of the future from the everyday managers? Over the years there have been many books and articles reflecting on different perspectives, however, few have ever expressed the real difference between leadership and management.
A manager controls and directs a group according to the principles that have been established
A leader sets a new direction or vision and is an influencer and motivator to lead a group to newfound success…
Management and leadership go side by side, and in every organisation, the presence of both is imperative to achieving your goals. But what if you could be both? Combining both could be the answer to long-term success! The transition is simple. Stop thinking like a manager, change your perspective. Rather than ensuring that daily activities are in place, share your vision with those who care, show people the future! Don’t just give orders for people to complete a task, motivate people to complete that task, work with them to find your vision, challenge your own abilities to think outside the box.
Peter Drucker once wrote, “management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things”
To be a true leader start by encouraging creativity, practice things that may be outside your comfort zone, tell yourself your a leader every single day and serve a positive attitude. Every business shapes itself to achieve lifelong goals that are in tune with its environment. Management keeps business going with little or no change at all, however in our ever-changing world, refined ways of doing things are always replacing the old ways which is presented in terms of leadership. A leader would look for ways to bring their business in line with reality and bring bring changes within the relationships and structure of business, not only getting a step closer to more achievements but feeling good, feeling like your finally getting somewhere, and everyday, starting to enjoy life and work more and more.
So what does it take? Just a little optimism, some ambition and a lot of passion are all you need to achieve your vision. The transition from manager to leader is definitely difficult, but its not impossible. So, challenge yourself! For managers who strive to be leaders one day, you must be ready for the coming evolution, from bricklayer to architect, problem solver to agenda setter, warrior to diplomat-but don’t lose some of that inner warrior! Use all your skills and newfound confidence to guide your old manager ways to a new and improved leader, the best version of yourself you could ever be.