Leader vs Manager

I visited my LINKEDIN account, just to update my profile and somehow update myself with my connections...

And in my browsing.. I came to read a shared presentation by a member... It is quite intriguing... and I realized that indeed there are big differences between being a Manager and a Leader...

Then I asked my self... "What am I?"

For me, a Leader is a person that drives a group to achieve a goal. He is more of a motivator, a mediator... He knows how to adjust to differences within his group...

A Manager on the other hand.. is more of a planner... he makes sure that everything is in place... no matter what. He is more focused on the goals.. and he makes sure that the goal is met regardless of what comes their way...

I have to agree on some points in the presentation... like this one... "A Manager is most of the time a leader.. but a leader is at times a manager"...

So what's your take on this? So what are you?




According to www.futurevisions.org the following are the distinct differences between the two:

• The manager administers; the leader innovates.


• The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.
• The manager maintains; the leader develops.
• The manager accepts reality; the leader investigates it.
• The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.
• The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.
• The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.
• The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.
• The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader has his or her eye on the horizon.
• The manager imitates; the leader originates.
• The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.
• The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.
• The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.

Read the Leader vs Manager article of FutureVisions.org

Another article that i found in the web, is the point of comparison by ChangingMinds.org, and take a look at their comparison table...

(excerpts coming from the article)

This table summarizes the above (and more) and gives a sense of the differences between being a leader and being a manager. This is, of course, an illustrative characterization, and there is a whole spectrum between either ends of these scales along which each role can range. And many people lead and manage at the same time, and so may display a combination of behaviors.

Subject	Leader	Manager
Essence	Change	Stability
Focus	Leading people	Managing work
Have	Followers	Subordinates
Horizon	Long-term	Short-term
Seeks	Vision	Objectives
Approach	Sets direction	Plans detail
Decision	Facilitates	Makes
Power	Personal charisma	Formal authority
Appeal to	Heart	Head
Energy	Passion	Control
Dynamic	Proactive	Reactive
Persuasion	Sell	Tell
Style	Transformational	Transactional
Exchange	Excitement for work	Money for work
Likes	Striving	Action
Wants	Achievement	Results
Risk	Takes	Minimizes
Rules	Breaks	Makes
Conflict	Uses	Avoids
Direction	New roads	Existing roads
Truth	Seeks	Establishes
Concern	What is right	Being right
Credit	Gives	Takes
Blame	Takes	Blames

Read the full article here