Are You a Manager or a Leader? Here’s How to Tell

Are you a manager or are you a leader? As a business coach, this question comes up a lot, and many people use the terms interchangeably. But there is a difference between the two, and there is a time and a place for you to be a manager and to be a leader. So today I want to delve into the distinction between the two and share examples of when a manager is needed and when a leader is more appropriate.

You Want Both

But before I go into some of the differences, I do want to preface it by saying your goal as a business owner is to be both. The end goal should be to encompass and embody the best of a manager and the best of a leader because both go so well together and complement each other. So one is not better than the other, it just depends on the situation at hand. And knowing when to be one versus the other is a skill that needs to be honed and practiced.

Control Versus Ownership

One of the first differences between the two has to do with how you handle your team and their responsibilities. Managers control and leaders give ownership. A manager will tell their team members what they need to do and when it needs to be done. A leader will tell a team member that they are responsible for a certain task or deliverable, and all the steps and accountability that come along with that project. Now, depending on the employee in question one method may be favorable to the other and this may change as they mature in their position. Because at the end of the day if a team member is able to step into their own internal leadership role for themselves, so much more can be accomplished because of this. But if given that freedom too early, productivity and growth could be severely impaired. If you want to step this up a notch from being a “manager” to a “great manager” that comes down to tone and language. Do you tell Joe in accounting to “do this report and have it on your desk by Friday?” Or do you say “Can you please have this report done by Friday? The client presentation is the following Tuesday and we want to have ample time to review.” It’s a slight modification to the ask, but the latter is more respectful and helps the employee see the value in what they are doing, which makes them want to help.

Delegate Tasks Vs End Results

Another subtle difference between a manager and a leader has to do with delegation. Managers delegate tasks. Whereas a leader comes at it from a different angle. A leader’s going to delegate ongoing ownership. Instead of “hey, I want you to do this thing for me” it’s more like “hey, I don’t want you just to get this task and this task and this task done. In the future, this area, this is your area of the company, and here’s the end result I want you to accomplish.  And so when things come up that don’t neatly fit into a task, I’m still going to ask that you catch it and handle it as you think is best. If you get stuck, I’m here to support you, but I believe in your ability to get this stuff done.”