Leader vs Manager: Similarities and Differences
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What Distinguishes a Leader from a Manager?
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"The multitude of books is making us ignorant." ~ Voltaire
At the time of this writing (November 7, 2011), a quick search on Amazon.com on "leadership books" returned 76,385 results. Another search on Amazon under the term "management books" returned 696,305 results. It is safe to assume that there are thousands of theories on the subjects of leadership and management, if not tens or even hundreds of thousands.
In my experience, neither of these subjects is so complicated that you have to read thousands of books to understand them. At their core, leadership and management are extra-ordinarily simple subjects, made unnecessarily complex by the thousands upon thousands of theories on them.
This page unravels the mystery around the subjects of leadership and management and presents a clear, simple lesson on leadership versus management.
What Brings You to Leader vs Manager?
Please take the poll below
Leader vs Manager Quiz
See what your score is, then challenge a friend.
This simple quiz has 12 questions, each with only two possible answers: True of False. As you read each statement, please take a brief pause and choose the answer that you feel drawn to. Good luck!
How did you do?
Please share your thoughts below.
How did you do? Did you learn something useful? Please share your thoughts below. Agree with the results? Disagree? Tell us why!
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naheedahsan
Feb 27, 2012 @ 12:35 pm | delete
- interesting lens....
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oclthree
Dec 27, 2011 @ 7:19 pm | delete
- Good survey!
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vallain Dec 14, 2011 @ 7:28 pm | delete
- Good points. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day management issues and forget about being a leader.
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WhiteSockGirl
Dec 6, 2011 @ 8:15 am | delete
- I thought I would aced it! But I scored only 83%. Dang!
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TapIn2U Dec 5, 2011 @ 10:01 am | delete
- There are more for me to learn. Sundae ;-)
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"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start." ~ Nido Qubein
Who is More Important
A leader or a manager?
Who is more important to the success of an endeavor?
Leader: A project or an endeavor will succeed without a manager, but not without a leader.
SergioBatista says:
An organization with a great leader people will fill motivated and very often become self-managed without requiring a manager. The opposite is not true.
When talking about projects it is slightly different as the main goal it to be effective and that's a manager job
SergioBatista says:
An organization with a great leader people will fill motivated and very often become self-managed without requiring a manager. The opposite is not true.
When talking about projects it is slightly different as the main goal it to be effective and that's a manager job
aruraza says:
a leader is more effective
KimGiancaterino says:
Most of the managers I've encountered have been useless bureaucrats, looking out only for their own careers.
jstringer28 says:
I love your lens. I'm not sure if I agree with some of the test answers. However, I have a very simplistic view of the difference between the terms leader and manager. (Not that I lack experience. I have over 20 years of it.)
Anyway, here is my simple definition.
You manage data. You lead people.
The ideal situation is to be able to both, or have synergy between both if it's divided as two departments.
Anyway, great lens.
Manager: A project or an endeavor will succeed without a leader, but not without a manager.
mdeakub says:
A manager with good leadership skills are the best one for survival of the organization in a competitive world. Both are complementary. In this current world, management skill is must to survive but not to outperform. With only leadership skill, you cant even survive if you are lacking management.
My lens on Transformational leaders is Transformational leaders ~ 3 Greats
Common Ground
Shared by Leaders and Managers
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1The People: There is a group of people who share common characteristics. ("Us")
It seems so obvious that it's often overlooked. Before there is a leader or a manager, there is a group of people who share something in common. Some examples of such shared things are: A grievance, common values or beliefs, a task, a project or employment to a specific employer. -
2The Reality: There is a Reality that's unacceptable to a group of people. ("We are Here.")
An integral part of being human is experiencing pain and pleasure. We all want to enjoy pleasant experiences and circumstances and avoid unpleasant ones. As we move through life and living, a group of people invariably stumble upon situations and circumstances that cause them displeasure. Some of these unpleasant situations are shared by a small group of people, such as parents or students who struggle with certain subjects. Some of them are faced by large populations of the world, such as poverty, sickness and malnutrition. -
3A Vision: There is a Vision of how that group of people wants the Reality to be. ("We want to be There.")
A Reality, when experienced for some time, causes a group of people to seek a more pleasant or favorable condition. In fact, every human being is thinking about both Reality and its resolution at all times. Often, a group of people begins to forge a shared solution. Sometimes a vision forms spontaneously and grows as a grassroots movement. Sometimes it's helped by a person who brings the group of people together and helps them forge a shared vision. -
4The Gap: The gap between the Reality and the Vision gives birth to an Endeavor or an Undertaking. ("Let's go from Here to There.")
The psychological term for the gap between Reality and Vision is Cognitive Dissonance. Cognitive Dissonance is a basic experience for us humans in every area of our lives, from health, to career, to money and to family. For most people, Cognitive Dissonance is felt as a form of tension that wants to resolve towards a solution. This is one of the primary motivators of all humans. -
5The Path: There is a common path that's chosen and agreed upon by the group of people to go from Reality to Vision. ("How do we get from Here to There?")
Often a group of people come together and agree on a path to moving away from their Reality and moving towards their Vision. This path is often discovered spontaneously. Often it's instigated by a single individual who gives others hope and inspiration. -
6(Optional) A Higher Purpose: In many endeavors, there is a sense of purpose that's beyond wanting to avoid Reality or achieve Vision. ("Why is it important for us to go from Here to There?")
Although optional, it's Higher Purpose that distinguishes a good team from a great team, a good movement from a great movement and a good business from a great business. All great movements have an element of Higher Purpose in them. When there is a shared purpose that's beyond the individual interests of people, it stirs the higher angels in them and galvanizes them to achieve unthinkable feats.
Leaders and Managers
How they are different
- 1People: Leaders see people as those for whom the endeavor is embarked upon, a project completed and the vision achieved. Managers see people as a means to achieving a significant achievement, accomplishing an important task or completing a project.
- 2Reality: A leader understands, often viscerally, people's Reality so that she can help them believe in the Vision of a solution. A manager understands people's Reality with the intent to motivate them on the path towards a Vision.
- 3Vision: Leaders help a group of people forge a shared vision that's important to them, that they believe in and are willing to work for. Managers make the Vision concrete and actionable by breaking it down in goals, projects and tasks and furnishing what's necessary to move forward in the direction of the Vision.
- 4Gap: Leaders manage the cognitive dissonance - the psychological gap between the Reality and the Vision - in order to stir up their emotional juices and carve out a believable path from Reality to Vision. Managers manage the cognitive dissonance to motivate people to take specific actions towards the next target or move forward on a specific path.
- 5Path: Leaders make sure that the path they are on is the path to the right Vision. Managers make sure that they are progressing efficiently on the path towards the Vision.
- 6Higher Purpose: Leaders tap into people's hearts and spirits to awaken their higher angels so they will give their hearts, minds and souls to achieving the Vision, may even be willing to die for it. Managers make sure that the people are committed to their cause and will work for that cause with persistence, endurance and perseverance.
Related Lenses
On Business, Managament and Political Leadership
Seven Habits of the Highly Effective People
On Leadership vs. Management
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Amazon Price: $7.45 (as of 06/01/2012)
Book Description: "In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity--principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates."
Leading and Managing
By the Way of Awareness
Most business leaders intuitively know that their business is performing below its capacity. A study by Gallop showed that only about a third of corporate employees are truly engaged to their work.
Traditional theories in management and leadership are incapable of fixing this issue for the simple fact that they designed from the perspective that an employee is an intellectual and behavioral automaton with no other human dimensions. Lately, the concept of Emotional Intelligence has gained momentum but still looks at the emotional aspect of the human equation from the rational perspective. (That's why it's called emotional intelligence.)
Way of Awareness in management and leadership views a human being as an integrated entity far beyond her intellect, behavior and even emotions. At Awayre, LLC, a human resources development firm, we have identified 7 distinct dimensions to human existence that come into play in any human endeavor. These seven dimensions are: 1) Awareness, 2) Personal Identity, 3) Inherent Talents, Values and Wisdom, 4) Intellect, 5) Emotions, 6) Organic Energy and 7) Actions and Behaviors.
When these seven human faculties are aligned and engaged in an endeavor, people naturally engage to their work and produce with an effortless efficiency. When their managers and leaders help them channel the unleashed productivity, they reap the rewards of sustained achievement and a sense of fulfillment in their work.
Further Reading
On Leadership, Management and Business
Resources for Further Study
Leadership and Management
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Leadership Quotations - BrainyQuote
"Leadership Quotations from BrainyQuote, an e more...1 point
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Leadership - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Leadership is "organizing a group of pe more...0 points
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Management - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Management in all business and organizationa more...0 points
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Management Quotes - BrainyQuote
"Management Quotes from BrainyQuote, an exten more...0 points
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Seth Godin on Management and Leadership
"Managers work to get their employees to do w more...0 points
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Warren Bennis on Management and Leadership (From WSJ.com)
"The manager's job is to plan, organize and c more...0 points
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Stephen Covey on Leadership Versus Management
"Stephen Covey talks about the difference bet more...0 points
"The teacher does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind." ~ Kahlil Gibran
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Leaders, Managers, Coaches
Myths and Misconceptions; Qualities and Characteristics
- Leader vs Manager: Myths and Misconceptions
- The folklore from the ages has created many false misconceptions about what it means to be a leader versus a manager. We look at three movies - Batman, Jurassic Park and Wall Street - and dispel three of the most fundamental myths about leadership and management.
- Leader vs Manager: Traits, Qualities and Characteristics
- This pages starts with a short self-assessment that helps you determine your natural predisposition to either being a leader or a manager. It also lists traits, qualities and characteristics of leaders and managers and summarizes what makes them similar as well as different.
- Leader vs Manager vs Coach: Lessons from Star Trek, the Next Generation
- This articles uses the beloved cult-classic TV series, Star Trek, the Next Generation, to draw important distinctions between the roles of a manager, a leader and a coach (often referred to as a teacher or a guide).
- Leader vs Manager vs Coach: Lessons from the Tudors (TV Series) and King Henry VIII
- Here's yet another way to appreciate the differences among Leaders, Managers and Teachers (or Coaches): We use the hit TV series on Showtime, The Tudors, and draw key distinctions about these roles.
Learned Something about Leader vs Manager?
Please share your insight with us below
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KimGiancaterino Jan 5, 2012 @ 3:13 pm | delete
- Yes, indeed ... you explained this very well. Happy new year!
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Tipi
Dec 3, 2011 @ 10:07 am | delete
- You certainly presented a lot of information together concisely and effectively, perhaps you are a leader/manager!
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MareeT
Dec 3, 2011 @ 12:19 am | delete
- Very helpful lens and excellent research!
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darciefrench
Nov 28, 2011 @ 4:04 pm | delete
- Absolutely I learned about leader vs manager, it is now very clear. Many thanks.
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JoshK47
Nov 27, 2011 @ 10:55 am | delete
- What an awesome lens, incredibly insightful into the world of leaders and managers - blessed by a SquidAngel!
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by bhavesh
I am the Founder and Creative Director at Awayre, LLC, a Maryland (USA) based human resource development firm that is a pioneer in bringing human awar... more »
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Making Leadership and Management Concrete
A gift idea for that special business person
Conquest of the Empire by Eagle Games
Amazon Price: $25.50 (as of 06/02/2012)
Conquest of the Empire is a terrific gift for that special someone who is leader, a manager or aspires to be one. Playing games is one of the easiest ways to learn abstract ideas such as management and leadership. This game is a great way to work with some of the principles of leadership and management. I love board games and have used them quite frequently in the business training sessions I conduct. This is one of the best games on strategy, albeit it's designed for the boardgame lovers with its huge board that's about twice the size of the Monopoly board.
