Manage or Lead?

What's in a name? Manager is what my title says, but lead is what I do. Is there a difference between someone who manages and someone who leads? I believe that there is:

Top 10 Things That Differentiate a Manager from a Leader

10.  Managers control, leaders engage. Do you want to have to 'manage' people into doing the right thing or lead them there so they do it automatically? Lead=easy Manage=hard. I choose easy.

9.  Managers follow rules, leaders question them.  Rules should be challenged regularly to make sure they really are still the rule.

8.  Managers are rigid, leaders embrace flexibility. See #10. The manager tends to control and therefore, demonstrates rigidity.

7.  Managers do, leaders delegate.  Managers are really workers. They may get volumes of work done, but it is probably work that would have been better handled by others in the organization.

6.  Managers spot problems, leaders solve them. Because managers tend to be 'doers' they are usually quick to spot a problem. A great leader may hear about the problem from their fantastic team, but their focus is on resolution.

5.  Managers focus on details, leaders look to the big picture. We are surrounded by manager minutia and it's very easy to become caught up in small details. Leaders look beyond the trivialities of managing and focus on the bigger, important work that needs to be done by a team of well led individuals.

4.  Managers think 'process,' leaders think 'people.' Yes, both processes and people need to be led or managed, but which comes first. Believe me, if people are managed instead of led, then processes will fail and put the manager into the mud.

3.  Managers like routine, leaders embrace change. The work of a manager is easier if it remains routine. Changes force people to think and work differently. A great leader understands that to grow and improve, routine has to be challenged. So many times I've heard people say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Well to them I say, "Then break it!!"

2.  Managers hire to fill a seat, leaders hire great staff.  Managers tend to be focused on tasks rather than people, where a great leader knows they need versatile, knowledgable, skillful, well rounded associates to be successful.
1.  Managers may simply fail, leaders fail fast and recover faster. Success is a road where failure is a frequent stop along the way. All people fail and so they should. How will you appreciate the success you achieve without experiencing failure along the way? What a leader does that is different from a mere manager is fail quickly, learn from it and move on.

So what will it be? Work as a manager or leader? The answer is clear. The title may say 'Manager' but the effort should be all 'Leader.' Do some self-evaluation and make changes where you can to be the leader you want others to see. Until next time, stay cheerful!