The Case for Great Managers & Great Leaders

The world needs both!!

In my experience over the last couple of decades I’ve experienced the reality that is the difference between the archetypes that we know as “managers” and “leaders” and how they represent different roles in the workplace. I have had some very good managers and leaders in my time. I have also had some atrocious experiences with terrible managers and leaders that have served to give relevant examples of exactly what not to do in the workplace. Regardless of good or bad, there are distinct differences between managers and leaders and I believe that while both are absolutely necessary to achieve revolutionary success that we must stop using the terms interchangeably.

So, what do I think the differences are between the two and why both are important to what we are trying to accomplish, you ask?

Great managers understand their organizations, their functions, the best practices in their industries and their subordinates’ objectives. They are good communicators and they offer their staff members coaching and feedback to help them succeed. They know how to delegate effectively and are able to identify employees who will do well, and give them tasks they can succeed at — while helping the project. They are good at collaborating with others, and with their team. The know how to work well with others, and understand how to integrate a diverse range of ideas and personalities. They are confident, reliable, and flexible in their approach and with their team.

Great leaders, on the other hand, more often concentrate their efforts and energies on motivating others to perform at peak levels. They connect on an emotional level with their employees and teams. Leaders can very often be seen as very charismatic, which is born of the passion they feel for what they are doing or working to achieve. They think of ways to innovate and evolve the environment around them in a way that will provide strategic advantage and an edge. They inspire others by providing a vision of what they can achieve. They then praise those accomplishments when their team fulfills the goals that were set. Leaders transfer their personal conviction and professional sense of purpose to their team through the words they use, the standards they follow and the example they provide.

Having laid out what I believe to be key differences between these two archetypes, I am not saying that one individual cannot represent both sides of this proverbial coin. I believe it is rare for someone to encompass all of the best traits of both, but those individuals do indeed exist. However, it is far more likely that most of us lean in our own personality to one side or the other and have experienced ourselves these qualities in a segmented way from those who have been charged in guiding us professionally throughout our careers. This is not a bad thing and has led me to come to make the conclusion over the years that the most effective teams I’ve seen are those who have individuals that are representing both sets of qualities, one to supply organization, process, and focus and the other to offer inspiration, motivation, innovation, and vision. Teams can function and survive with either alone, but if you fuse an inspired team with effective management, it has the potential to conquer anything it sets out to do and likely will do just that.

The best teams that I have ever been a part of have had a good representation of both best in class managers and best in class leaders. I would like to think that I have learned invaluable keys to being successful from both camps. I have also been careful to ensure that my group of personal mentors has folks that encapsulate both sides of that fence and who understand the importance of both leadership and managerial qualities living in harmony in order to achieve success, both personally and professionally. You see, I believe that I can make a case for great managers and great leaders in determining the best path moving forward in just about any situation. What do you think?

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