The easy way to tell the difference between a leader and a manager lies in what he or she is handling; as the saying goes, leaders work with people, while managers' focus on tasks. Often times a leader is viewed by their staff as an inspirational figure that engages and motivates them, while managers are seen simply as people that need to be kept happy.
You can see why many people strive to be leaders instead of managers, even if their official title is ‘Manager’! Everyone can benefit from leadership skills, especially when you are leading people and managing tasks.
The differences between managers and leaders can be overt or subtle depending on the situation or the person. Managers expect their subordinates to do as they are told, to get the job done. Their main function as they see it is to keep things moving along, to get to whatever the end goal is - a project completed, a client satisfied in a timely manner.
Leaders, on the other hand, have loyal people working along side them who are willing to follow their direction, not because they have to, but because they want to. Leaders remain people-focused, while still getting the job done. For a leader, this involves engaging people based on their specific strengths, talents and skills rather than simply demanding that the work gets done, by whomever is available to do it and as quickly as possible.
Leadership involves strategic thinking - planning for the future, making decisions based upon their long-term impact rather than the management style of simply getting things done now for short-term reasons.
If you want to have success in both your business and personal life, consider making the transition from a manager to a leader. Leadership skills may not come naturally to all, but they can be learned. And, once you have made that switch, you will see how valuable it truly is to be a leader rather than a manager!
