The first chapter from my virtual book, “On Leadership”

When discussing something, it helps to agree on a few terms and what they mean. This way, we have a shared understanding. This should reduce some confusion and potential misunderstanding.

Let’s look at two terms: “manager” and “leader”. These words (and their verbs, “managing” and “leading”) are often used interchangeably. But they are actually very different things and knowing the difference can unleash a lot of power for us.

Let’s explore the difference:

Manager is an official, assigned role. It is about delivering results. As a manager, you are responsible for results delivered through people, through a process, or through both. For example, you can be a sales manager, a project manager, or a general manager.

Leader is an unofficial, earned role. It is about inspiring people, giving them a sense of purpose, encouraging them to overcome challenges, helping them adapt to changes, fueling their motivation, and helping them grow and reach their full potential.

The paradox: you can be a manager who isn’t a leader and you can also be a leader who isn’t a manager! This is because managing is a business skill but leading is a people skill. There are plenty of people who have the title “manager” but who haven’t learned (yet!) how to lead others.

Why is this important to know?

If you are a manager, it is important to realize that having the title “manager” won’t be enough to ensure that you effectively lead your people. In addition to building the skills you need to manage effectively, you will also need to build the skills you need to lead effectively. If you do not realize these are different skills, you may become frustrated that you are a manager whose people do not help you achieve the results you are responsible for!

If you are not a manager, it is important to realize you can still be a leader. In fact, leadership is something that all of us can practice regardless of our seniority, experience or job title. Knowing this difference can help “remove the obstacles” in your mind, helping you achieve more and feel more satisfied with your work and with your life.

There are a few easy ways to start applying this knowledge about managing versus leading:

• First, think a bit more about “managing” and “leading”: what are some other examples of how these two are similar and are different?
• Second, think about how this concept applies to you: are you a manager? If so, how effectively are you also leading your people? If you are not a manager, how can you still practice leadership?
• Finally, be more conscious of the words you use: try to use “manager” or “managing” when you are talking about the business skill and “leader” or “leading” when you are talking about the people skill. Using the right words helps you have the right mindset.

In this blog, we will look at both managing and leading. We will look at the difference between the two and will share easy-to-use tools that will help you become more effective both as a manager and as a leader.

As always, we welcome your input and feedback: leave your comments below or drop us a message.