Good manager or great leader?

Good managers contribute to the success of the company by using their 'positional power' to direct, supervise and manage the resources of an organization. A leader has a much more complex role - they inspire and influence people so that a company's vision can be achieved.

The competitive and global nature of today's business environment forces organizations to make the most of their assets, their resources and their people otherwise they start to fall behind their competitors. With that in mind let's take a look at the differences between managers and leaders. We'll start by comparing their definitions:

Manager: someone who is responsible for managing someone else in a company or business, someone who controls resources and expenditures

Leader: the person who makes decisions that other people choose to follow or obey, a person who guides or inspires others

The major difference between the two is that a manger is a person that achieves company objectives through the actions and efforts of their subordinates. This example implies that managers belong to a formal organization structure and their power is based on their position. In other words, the organizational position defines the manager's power and the influence they have over their subordinates is based on their company position. Successful managers contribute to the company's bottom line by ensuring their assigned staff meets the department's business objectives.

And how do they accomplish this? Managers provide a link between business objectives and the employee's efforts. One way of being an effective link is to communicate the department's mission to their staff. This allows the employees see how their department and personal objectives support and contribute to the bigger picture. A good manager also needs to be able to evaluate their subordinates skills, knowledge and abilities. This talent gives them the ability to assign tasks and responsibilities to the appropriate team member so department objectives can be achieved successfully.

Although managers have many other responsibilities like assigning resources, handling grievances, solving problems, briefing executives and writing reports - let's focus on those things that affect people. Good managers get the most out of their people because they:

• Orient new employees
• Explain policies and procedures
• Provide job information
• Assign work to subordinates
• Describe performance expectations
• Identify personal problems and issues
• Evaluate performance
• Identify training requirements
• Provide feedback

It's easy to see that effective managers have the ability to work "with" people to achieve the department objectives. The best managers are "people" persons and they realize that each and every person has a role to play within their department. And how do you become a good manger? Experience and training are important factors in developing an individual's management skills but personal motivation also plays a key role. Self-development is one of the strongest tools a person has to improve their management skills.

So what's the difference between a manager and a leader? Do you graduate from one to another? Will a good manager naturally evolve into a great leader? Unfortunately, some people believe that leaders are born and not developed but I disagree. Given enough motivation, a desire to improve and a willingness to help their fellow man - every person has the ability to become a leader. But what are the traits of a leader?

To start with leaders apply the same practices that good managers use but what sets them apart is their caring attitude. In addition to providing feedback, they also listen to what their subordinates say and they take the time to discover the underlying issues. They help employees solve their own problems by providing an environment where people know they are accepted.

Leaders also demonstrate their commitment in both words and deeds because it takes a long time for people to hear, understand and believe in what a leader says. The trust a leader demonstrates in his staff builds the employees motivation and commitment. Great leaders also have a knack for building teams by setting realistic goals, providing guidance and feedback and empowering the team to do its best.

Leaders practice the five "Ls" - they look, they listen, they learn, they lead and they laugh with their team! These are the traits that inspire people to do their best. By doing so, they gain the respect and support of their staff. Good leadership skills make people want to achieve their very best rather than just meeting a day-to-day objective. In fact, a leader that is honorable and trustworthy will always "Do the Right Thing" and their staff will willingly follow them anywhere!