A manager is someone who controls. A leader leads. Four main differences of a manager and a leader:

1. Being open to new ideas

Your employees and clients have great ideas, ones that can make your company better. Instead of always saying “We do it this way because that’s the way we have always done it”, challenge yourself to stop controlling the situation and let someone else have a stab at making the company better.

2. Viewing the competition and learning from it.

Managers like to control things and one thing they can’t control in business is the competition. A leader, on the other hand sees competition can make a company stronger. Leaders pay attention to what the competition is doing right and rivals are doing wrong, so they can learn new and better ways to build their own business.

3. Embracing the input of staff

Managers don’t ask others their opinion because by doing so, control is lost. When staff are included in the decision making process, they are more likely to embrace whatever the leader is working on. Even if some staff don’t agree with the final decision, they appreciate being asked their opinion, which means they’re more likely to embrace the initiative even if they don’t agree with it.

4. Not needing the final word

Managers like control and one of the ways they retain it is by analysing most decision-making processes with an assumption that they are right most of the time. Leaders approach things from a different viewpoint, one in which the assumption is that they don’t have all the answers and the best way to find the best answers is through collaboration with others on the team.

Final Thoughts

Although this blog seems to cast managers in a bad light and glorify the role of a leader, my opinion is that a leader needs to be a good manager to be effective as well. After all, what are dreams and visions without proper planning and, more importantly, action. References – Business News Daily, Forbes, www.leopard-learning.com

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