To manage or to lead-that is the question faced by many managers. But alas–what does it mean to be a leader? Is being a leader significantly different than being a manager, and is it possible to manage and to lead at the same time?
Definition of Manager and Leader:
A manager basically directs resources to complete predetermined goals or projects. For example, a manager may engage in hiring, training, and scheduling employees in order to accomplish work in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. A manager is considered a failure if he/she is not able to complete the project or goals with efficiency or when the cost becomes too high.
On the other hand, a leader within a company develops individuals in order to complete predetermined goals and projects. A leader develops relationships with his/her employees by communicating, evoking images of success, and by eliciting loyalty.
Comparison of Manager versus Leader:
Manager: A company CEO directs Sarah, one of the company’s up and coming managers, to hire enough new employees to provide the company with a state-of-the-art customer service department. Sarah undertakes her project with enthusiasm. She hires only those employees who can work the assigned hours, will accept the modest pay, and have experience working in customer service. She trains her new employees to perform the job to her expectations and assigns the employees to their new positions. Sarah measures her success in terms of efficiency, calls handled per hour, and cost effectiveness, i.e., did she meet her budget. However, Sarah did not anticipate that of the employees she hired, only a handful would remain working six months later.
Leader: Rob obtains the same assignment as Sarah. Rob hires employees that he believes he can develop a working relationship with, versus just those employees who will work the assigned hours and take the modest pay. Rob’s goal is to hire a diverse group of employees, some of whom do not have any customer service experience but with whom he feels he can develop a personal connection. A large part of Rob’s training involves team building, telling successful stories, and listening to each employee’s own desires for what constitutes a fulfilling job. Rob still assigns his employees their job duties and schedules at the end of training, and he also measures success in terms of efficiency and cost effectiveness, but he also measures success in terms of employee turnover, employee morale, and employee development. Rob feels proud when one of his employees obtains an advanced level position a year or two after being hired.
Can a Manager be a Leader and a Leader be a Manager?
The answer to the question is “yes”. The skills to be a leader or a manager are not mutually exclusive in nature. A leader who only displays leadership skills will be ineffective when it comes to checking timecards, completing employee reviews, and scheduling employee vacation time; things that employers require their managers to do routinely. Similarly, a manager who spends all his/her time completing paperwork and reading reports; only creates more problems for themselves because they lack a robust relationship with their employees.
If you are a manager who has spent too much time managing and not leading his/her employees, start spending 10% of your time each week leading until you can establish 25% of your time in leadership practices. If you are a leader who only likes to lead, either become a politician, hire an assistant to be the manager, or start spending 50% of your time getting the paperwork done.