Are You a Manager or a Leader?

If someone were to ask your employees how they view you, do you think they would answer that you’re a manager or a leader? The misconception is that being managers and leaders are one in the same. When in truth, leadership is a learned accomplishment that is a combined result of both natural talent and great training. Perhaps you’re a manager who strives to become a leader, or maybe you’re not the leader that you think you are. Ask yourself the following questions to determine which category you may fall into.

Does my staff follow directions because they want to do so, or because they have to do so?

Often times, a manager adapts his or her techniques from the military by using a form of the command-and-control management model. The book, “The 9 Disciplines of a Facilitator” describes this approach: “The company is imaged as a machine, the operator of the machine is the leader, and management provide ongoing maintenance and repair.” This management technique requires employees to follow checklists and exact plans without the use of intuition, problem solving, or individual creativity. In many ways, this approach can be effective, but it may lead to the employee feeling like a robot.

A leader establishes the goals and expectations of the company, and then provides key functions that an employee is to perform. This fosters an environment where everyone has a sense of ownership and self-motivation.

Am I working for the improvement of both the staff and the organization?

Leslie L. Kossoff, the founder and CEO of Leadership Quantified, said, “The difference between being a manager and being a leader is simple. Management is a career. Leadership is a calling.”

A manager may divide his or her role into supervising four basic categories: resources, time, finances and projects. When handling resources, you work with vendors, order and maintain the equipment and distribute materials. When governing time, you plan and arrange the schedules of multiple employees. Managing money is the critical function of balancing a budget. While organizing a project, one must contemplate the overall scope, size and goals of the organization.

A leader fosters an environment to make everyone feel like they are managing or working for their own business. If employees feel this way, they are more likely to handle costs, resources and time more efficiently and with greater integrity. Leaders motivate everyone to share common values. If the team lacks pride in the values, the system could fail. Involve the group in defining these ideas. All the while, make sure they line up with the core values of the company. Once the standard is defined and communicated, proper execution is key.

Does my team trust me?

Trust is an important element in any relationship. It is also a manager’s responsibility to be knowledgeable and skilled. If he or she is not, it is difficult for his or her team to have confidence in their ability to trust and follow. In some cases, an employee will do as he or she is told, even if he or she does not fully trust the decision of the manager. Adversely, over time the employee’s morale may be negatively affected.

In the best-case scenario, a leader will establish the need for change by creating mutual dissatisfaction with the current state of a circumstance. Here is an opportunity to get the team involved with developing a solution strategy. The team can brainstorm ideas about the reasons, benefits and disadvantages of the different change options. Also, the supervisor can plan and lead the change by deciding how to move towards the new ideas. As with any good plan, implementation and communication is essential.

It can be difficult to discern the distinct difference between a manager and a leader, mostly because the attributes of a leader are not corporeal or substantial. However, Craig R. Hickman, the author of the book, “Mind of a Manager, Soul of a Leader,” inserts that managers do differ from leaders. “Everyone would rather be a leader, because leaders, as we’ve been told, are inspiring, personable, charismatic, creative and visionary folks.” Is that you?

Terrell McTyer is the Marketing Monster of Affiliated Acceptance Corporation. He can be contacted at 573-374-9970, or by e-mail at Terrell.McTyer@Affiliated.org.