Everyone is talking about leadership, and how we need to evolve from managers to leaders, but only few really get the difference! It’s a beautiful word and the thought of leading people is very appealing, but how can you make the step from managing to leading? And how can you get people wanting to follow you?
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It’s certainly not rocket science to understand, but it’s not easy to execute and requires commitment! People want to follow you, if you respect them and have integrity. You cannot afford to make any decisions based on ulterior motives, or avoid an uncomfortable discussion or conflict, because it does not suit you at that moment. People love to follow people with ideals and visions, and people who believe in a better tomorrow.
The difference between managers and leaders is, that managing requires you to (micro-)manage people, processes and behaviors, and leading enables you to change people to the better and help them reach their potential on their own by holding them accountable to their actions while providing feedback and support.
Question: What’s the difference between managers and leaders in a nutshell?
I think it is also important to model the behavior that you want people to follow as a leader. The values of the company or organization can be shown by the behavior/comportment of its leaders.