Quite often, when people talk or write about the differences between leaders and managers, they make it sound as if leaders are first class and managers are, well, somewhere quite a bit below that! In reality, leaders and managers have a lot in common, and sometimes the dichotomy is a bit exaggerated. However, there are a few things that do differentiate a leader from a manager. Not good versus bad, just different.
Managers
Hold a shorter term view
Centered on a department
Emphasize policies and procedures
Focus on revenue allocation
Think tactically
Leaders
Hold a longer term view
Centered on the whole organization
Emphasize innovation and change
Focus on revenue generation
Think systems
There is a lot of gray space between what a leader does and what a manager does as some of their responsibilities can seem similar. However, ALL of the differences listed above are important to the health and viability of an organization. If an organization gets over-managed and under-led, there will likely be declining innovation. And, if an organization gets over-led and under-managed, there will likely be an unhealthy amount of chaos. A healthy organization needs to be leader-driven and manager-implemented.
For assistance in thinking more about how the responsibilities of managers and leaders play out in your organization, contact us to speak with an experienced consultant!
Jay Desko is the CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.
