The goal of being either a manager vs a leader comes down to long-term success. Building a successful business is not child’s play. One should have excellent managerial skills and leadership qualities to become the strongest pillar of their organization.
But many owners are dubious about whether they have the personality of a manager vs that of a leader. Little do they know about what it actually takes to be a manager or a leader.
What is Manager vs a Leader?
Basically, a manager is a designation provided to a person in a company or organization for his contributions and achievements. They manage the team to deliver its best for the company’s betterment.
On the other hand, a leader is a person who has these leadership skills built in them. They work with the team towards a vision and help them develop along with them, both personally and professionally.
What Makes a Leader and a Manager?
You can analyze the characteristics that a manager and a leader should have by going through the following:
What Makes Managers
1. Creates Goals
Managers work for short-term goals. They maintain the employees’ focus on work and control or minimize the risks. They work on brushing up their skills and copy the successful methods or strategies that worked previously.
2. Ability to Direct
The main role of a manager is to lead a team to execute a vision. So they should be able to direct team members toward that vision.
3. Process Management
Managers should be able to manage the process of the work in the organization. This requires them to look after the task allocation, work on progress analysis, and develop new strategies to improve work quality.
What Makes a Leader
1. Create a Vision
Leaders need to create a vision. They take the people in their team and motivate them to look up to the same vision.
2. Ability to Challenge
They take risks and never leave a chance to break stereotypes. Uniqueness and innovation are their success mantra. They take opportunities to learn new things, develop new skills, and improve.
3. Build Relationships
They think for the long haul and focus on building relationships with people rather than building processes. They coach people to try something new every time other than following the same routine over and over.
Being a Leader vs. a Manager
Be it a manager or a leader, it doesn’t always come naturally. You need to work and develop your skills accordingly to become one.
How to Be a Good Manager
If you want to become a good manager, you need the following:
1. Appreciation
The first thing you need to have as a manager is an appreciation for your team. This plays a crucial role in your team’s progress. Take some time to appreciate your members for something they have achieved or improved on. This makes their bond with you and the company stronger.
2. Trust Your Team
When you have assigned a task to a member of the whole team, trust them. Do not be anxious about how they will carry out the task, and do not fear failure. When you count on them, they realize what their responsibilities are.
Secret tip: If it is their first task or something serious, give them an earlier deadline. This way, if something goes wrong, you will still have enough time to handle it.
3. Be There for the Team
When you are working with a team, many things happen that you need to deal with. Misunderstandings among team members or someone isn’t able to work on a task correctly, or a team project not going as you planned.
This is when you need to stand with the team, not against them. Motivate them, help them, and solve their issue with them rather than blaming them or punishing them. This encourages teamwork and boosts your team’s energy.
4. Act the Way You Want them To
Act the way you want your employees to, and have them have someone to look up to and be inspired by. If you want them to be punctual, you should be. This will have them following your example rather than scolding them.
5. Communicate
A very important thing for a team is communication. This is the success mantra for productive teamwork. Organize team lunches, prepare team talks, and other such opportunities where you get enough space and time to talk. This encourages positive vibes at work that can help to develop a positive company culture.
How to Be a Good Leader
If you want to become a good leader, you need:
1. Be a Role Model
Since you are the leader, you need to be a role model for others. This is how they can look up to you and follow your vision.
2. Make Good and Careful Decisions
Being a leader is not easy. It needs you to make some crucial decisions. So don’t be impulsive about decision-making. And be ready to make essential and risky choices at any moment.
3. Understand the Team
You should know your team well. You should have a clear idea of their strengths and weaknesses, so you know what you can expect from each of them.
4. Try Innovation
You should be willing to try new and unique things. You need to be open to innovation and challenges. This is how you can get new opportunities and how your company can grow.
5. Encourage Growth
You should not restrict your team members. You need to grow together. So give them some space and freedom to grow. If they are learning something, encourage them.
A business needs someone with both leadership and managerial skills. For only a leader or only a manager cannot be a strong pillar of any organization. There will be times when they need to be managerial, and other times when they need to show leadership.
Understanding Skills
Now that you know what the characteristics of a leader and a manager are, analyze your personality. Understand the skills you possess and the skills you need to develop to become a leader or manager.
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What Other Differences Are There Between a Manager vs. a Leader?
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