There is a difference between managing people and leading people. A big difference. Management consists of controlling a group of people to accomplish a goal. Leadership refers to an individual’s ability to influence, motivate and enable others to contribute to organisational and personal success.

Whether you’re a manager or a leader will depend on your character, conceptions and personality. For example, according to Abraham Zaleznik, managers embrace process, seek stability and control, and attempt to resolve problems quickly and efficiently. Leaders, on the other hand, tolerate chaos, lack of structure and are willing to delay closure so as to understand the issues more fully.

Managers and leaders are often able to apply their skills in similar situations. However, depending on the task, either a manager or a leader may perform better.

Managers are experts at taking ownership and executing complex processes with many moving parts. Though they may not decide the overarching strategy, managers are at home implementing a plan. To do this, managers need to be able to:

• Take a strategic vision and break it down into a roadmap to be followed by the team.
• Review and effectively allocate resources, as well as plan for any obstacles along the way.
• Establish work rules, processes, standards and operating procedures.
• Look after their people – their needs, problems, concerns and ideas.

Leaders are less likely to become so involved in the nitty-gritty, and are better suited to looking at the bigger picture, planning high-level changes and setting goals. To do this effectively, leaders need to be able to:

• Get people to buy into and believe in their vision.
• See the bigger picture, and map a new course.
• Inspire their people to achieve their best and see their role in the overarching strategy.
• Challenge the status quo, embrace change and create new ways of doing things.
• Keep the team up-to-date on progress, changes and the end-point.

When it comes to managers and leaders, one is not necessarily better than the other. Rather, these types of people will often thrive in different situations – and struggle in ones they are not properly equipped for.

Are you a manager or a leader? And do you think these two character-profiles are mutually exclusive?

Email me know your thoughts.