LEADING VS. MANAGING

The WSJ has a good short series on Leadership. It has articles and short videos. Today we are going to spend a couple of minutes on their short article on Leading vs Managing. All leaders must manage in addition to leading. But certainly, what differentiates a manager from a leader is that they manage, but they don't lead. Many people think managers are leaders; this is not true.

Take a look a some of the items in the article.

1. A manager's job is to plan, organize and execute. A leader's job is inspire and motivate.
2. The manager focuses on systems and structure. The leader focuses on people.
3. The manager requires control, the leader inspires trust.
4. The manager maintains, the leader develops.
5. The manager always has the eyes on the bottom line, the leader has the eyes on the horizon.

All companies needs great manager and great leaders. Look at the list and see where you fit. You may pick up on that leaders focus on people, doing the right thing and the direction of the company. How much do you focus on your people? Or are you totally focused on getting the job done? They are not mutually exclusive.

Cheers, Mike