What is the difference between a leader and a manager?
Many people do not stop to think about the difference between leaders and managers. They assume that they are actually one and the same. Possibly the worst offenders are managers themselves. In their haste to get the job done, they fail to stop and think how to get it done most effectively and efficiently. Most importantly, they fail to instill passion into the goal they are trying to accomplish along with the people under their charge.
Stop and think for a moment, then answer the following questions. Feel free to scratch a couple of notes as you read through this article. 1) Who was the best person you ever worked for? 2) Who is the worst person you ever worked for? While thinking about the best person, list out a few things why you felt that way. Now do the same for the worst person. Everybody will have different reasons for each of the items they list. Going back to your favorite, look at your notes again, then stop and think for a second: Did that person recognize any of the items you listed while you were under their charge? Did they know how to inspire you? Chances are, they did. Say, for example, you listed “…they asked how my son was doing after he fell off of his bicycle and skinned up his knee over the weekend…”. While this has no importance in directly boosting your work productivity, your favorite person took time to recognize you as an individual with needs and concerns other than producing 1,000 widgets per hour. This person gave you the opportunity to be a human rather than just another cog in the wheel. There is also a better than average chance that when this person came to you and asked for a little extra effort to meet a deadline, you did not hesitate to put in extra hours, maybe for little or no extra compensation, because you knew how important it was to help them. This person was likely right beside you with shirtsleeves rolled up working right alongside you.Now take a moment to reflect on the dictatorial jerk that was the worst person you worked for. Did any of your notes you jotted down about that person describe what they did for you? Did you ever feel like you were important? I would bet it was all about them and they rarely, if ever, tried to recognize any of your basic needs. Your notes might describe how it was always their deadline, their accomplishment, or how they would say that if it weren’t for them, nothing would ever get done. As for the latter comment, they are correct. Because they create a world where everything is dependent on them. Every person in their responsibility is taught to rely on them and not be self-sufficient. The strengths and weaknesses of the group are a mirror of the strengths and weaknesses of the individual managing the group. The group of people this person manages is notably weaker than the group of people serving under your favorite leader. One last thought regarding this person: did you look to see if it was time to go home yet at 4:45 or at 5:15?The best person I ever worked for was Staff Sergeant Jerry Babauta. I worked for him almost 2 decades ago. I had just arrived at my first duty station in Germany with no stripes on my arm. Part of my job was excavation for broken utility lines. It was late November, about 25 degrees out, and we had to locate a broken water main in the middle of the road that had frozen. This requires a lot of hand digging to avoid further damage to the pipe, and when a water main leaks, it leaks a lot, so the ground was wet and heavy. We were all frozen, wet and miserable. Jerry was our leader, in charge of several jobs. He drove up in his nice warm pickup in his starched uniform, climbed down into the muddy hole, took my shovel away from me, and ordered me into his truck to warm up. I returned 5 minutes later, still numb but not wanting to sit for too long, to take my shovel back. He refused and told me to take another airman’s shovel so he could warm up. There were about 6 of us there and this continued until everybody had a turn. By that time, we had exposed the break and started the repair. He remained outside of his truck, wet and muddy, until the job was done. He never repeated this action again. He never had to. I still believe it was a demonstration with a purpose for my benefit because I was the new guy. He made his point, though, because now, almost 20 years later, I still remember what happened, and I still think,”What would Jerry do?” And, for the rest of my service under Jerry’s leadership, I never questioned an order and I always gave 120%.The question “What is the difference between a leader and a manager?” is impossible to answer the same way for everybody. That is, unless your answer is, “The leader will know.”