Are you a leader or a manager?
Hopefully, after this course, you will be active in both domains and dedicate your focus to leadership. In the context of business, we talk more about management and managing people and less about leadership or leading people. Business titles and business cards show managers, not leaders. Career paths are pointing a direction toward management, not leadership. To answer this question, if you are in a position where you supervise people, you are in a management role, and it is expected that you manage people and assets. Let’s have a look into the details of both definitions and roles.
What is management?
Management is the administration of an organization, whether a business, a non-profit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of operating and controlling resources.
Management or the title manager is given a form of authority, which you get when you are promoted into a management role by its organization. Authority means you have the power to instruct subordinates who are working under you. Based on your position, you will get the right to act with legitimate power over other people given to you by a company or another form of organization. Authority empowers management to enforce obedience and is the power to give orders and ensure that these orders are followed.
Is a manager automatically a leader?
No, a manager is not automatically a leader, although more and more job positions include the title leader in their description. Leadership is, in comparison to Management, not a result of a promotion or position. The only way to become a leader is to develop a shared vision and followers. If you achieve this, you can grow as a leader and improve your leadership skills to become an approachable and empathic leader.
How do I become a leader?
Authority does not make you a leader. It is the people following you who make you a leader!
Let me dive into an example from social media, which created a new form of leadership in the last decade, so-called influencers. People follow influencers and take their advice and recommendations to the point that they buy a product they recommend. People spend their money on somebody’s advice because they trust them and they want to be somehow like them – successful.
People follow leaders because they expect something in return.
If we understand this simple principle, we can act accordingly and give something to others they like and demand. Often this is not a physical product or a monetary reward. People follow leaders because they want to be part of their team or organization and believe in their view of the future – a vision and how they want to achieve it – the values.
As a leader, you need a vision and build trust, and people will follow you and your advice. You see these principles in social media, politics, religion, business…
In most areas, especially in business, people want to be successful. We all learned that success feels good and comes with rewards, recognition, promotion, and fame for other favorable outcomes.
The only thing you need to do to become a leader is to make others successful - easy as that.
Udo Neumann
Being successful means achieving desired visions and planned goals, which I will teach in the next lessons and topics. You learned the difference between management and leadership and how to become a leader. I hope you will answer my question: Are you a manager or a leader with a passion for being both. Great leaders use their authority to lead people to outstanding performances and success!
Thank you for making this step!
See you – Udo
