After working with a number of leaders, from CEOs of Global Fortune 500 companies to small business owners, I’ve learned that no matter the size of the enterprise, everyone can be a leader. Why? Because leadership is about showing others the way and instilling the confidence in them to follow you. Therefore, by this definition, each of us is capable of motivating others to fulfill a vision of the future and encourage them to build their capacity to achieve it. However, not all managers do this and therefore are not leaders. But if someone is a manager and leads a team, isn’t he or she a leader by definition? Not necessarily. Often, employees are promoted not on their ability to lead others but rather based on their ability to perform a set of tasks. For example, if an employee achieves the most sales, or produces the best widgets, he or she can often expect to be recognized or compensated for their abilities in the form of a promotion, or a leadership position. However, the problem is performance alone is not the mark of a leader. The job of a leader is not simply to perform priority tasks well; the job of a leader is to enable his team to perform all of their tasks well.
So, what are the difference between being a manager and a leader? Below, I share the top three differences:
- Managers Micromanage. Leaders Show. Have you ever had a supervisor who spends more time surveying and doing your job than doing their own? That’s because managers can lack the kind of vision that inspires people to do their job effectively. Without the ability to motivate people to achieve a common goal, managers can be overbearing and make employees feel dejected and demoralized. Managers define success based on accomplishing short-term, narrowly-defined goals. Leaders define success by building and leveraging the full capacities (experience, knowledge, relationships) of their team to solve problems and achieve the necessary results. Because in the absence of leadership, it’s every man and woman for themselves. Leaders provide the vision, the freedom and the faith employees need to advance common objectives without feeling the need to protect their own interests.
- Managers Are Self-Interested. Leaders Are Unselfish. This is perhaps the most important distinction between managers and leaders, because it goes to an individual’s motivations. It’s the intangible feeling one has about their supervisor of whether his or her primary concern is helping them or helping themselves. Managers are motivated by self-interest. Leaders are motivated by others’ interest. They use their position to protect and advance the goals and welfare of others, not their own.
- Managers Stifle. Leaders Empower. Most managers are unaware that they are stifling their employees and, by extension, the progress of their enterprise. Managers are often guilty of doing the minimal required, or managing the status quo. The problem is status quo is a fallacy. Change is inevitable. The difference is that managers fear it and leaders embrace it. Leaders understand that every “change” is an opportunity to evolve and get better. And while change is never easy, it is necessary to grow and succeed, especially in a dynamic environment where little stays the same for long. Leaders provide the fertile ground for change to happen in a way that serves their team and the individuals on it. And while managers are threatened by change, leaders are invigorated by it.
Dana W. White is the author of the book, Leader Designed: Become the Leader You Were Made to Be. A former foreign policy adviser to Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and adviser to the CEOs of three Global Fortune 500 companies, she is the CEO of 1055 Grady, a leadership consulting firm based in Washington, D.C.
