Managers vs. Leaders
To help my clients grasp the difference between a manager and a leader, and to determine where they or their team members fit on the “leadership scale,” I often ask them the following questions:
When you walk into a room of your direct reports, do they suddenly become quiet, or do they enthusiastically invite you to join in the conversation?
If invited in, you are more of a leader than a boss!
When you have a tough goal or deadline, do your team members get behind you and make it happen, or do you sense that they secretly hope you fail?
A competent leader will always have the full support of his staff!
Do you manage based on your own style, or do you make it a point to really understand your people before deciding on a management strategy?
A leader cares and is sensitive to the needs of her people.
Are you tough but fair? Structured, but flexible?
Strong leadership means more than being a “nice person.”
Do you go by the book but freely explain the consequences of not doing so?
Rules are important; communication is equally so.
Do you understand that your responsibility to manage or lead a team does not include the luxury of liking or disliking anyone, that you must treat everyone the same?
Without absolute fairness, you can’t even consider yourself a leader.
Developing Management Skills
Being a competent manager paves the way to becoming a powerful leader. Competence begins with knowing what needs to be accomplished and not playing favorites. Some managers are overly concerned with being liked. This desire inevitably impedes their ability to lead and manage effectively. Likeability is often confused with leadership qualities. But you will never please everyone all of the time. Pandering to this natural insecurity will make you appear weak and malleable. Period. Accept that and move on. (You are entitled to respect, but that is earned rather than demanded.)
The first step in developing management skills is to ensure that your actions are governed by integrity. The commitment to integrity results in a comfort level that allows flexibility. Why? If you avoid the slightest perception of impropriety, your reputation as one who takes the high road will precede you. Cut corners and bend too many rules or be inconsistent in your values, and you will be on the company radar screen as a loose cannon, someone to be watched—or worse, phased out.
