Manager vs. Leader: What’s the Difference?

Are you able to motivate your team to come to work? Learn what the difference is between a manager and a leader.

Welcome to the Love of Business. I’m Crystal.

And I’m Sunshine. Let’s get to it.

So, Crystal, I’m hearing a lot about leaders and managers and I’m a little confused on what the difference is?

Yes, I get that question a lot. That’s a common misconception. I’m glad we’re talking about this. A lot of people do not know the difference between a manager and a leader. And quite simply, a manager and leader have very different roles within the business.

How so, Crystal?

A manager is responsible for delegating the work out to the team, setting deadlines for that work, and keeping the team accountable to those deadlines. Now, a leader is someone who inspires their team to come to work every morning. So, their job is to increase employee and team moral.

Leaders are the cheerleaders for the team.

So, are leaders and managers two different people?

Good question. Let’s chat about that. Managers and leaders can be two different people, but they don’t necessarily have to be two different people. Meaning they can be the same person doing two different roles simultaneously. Does that make sense?

A little bit. But can you expand just a teeny bit more on that?

Love to. So, for example, a lot of businesses, you know, small to medium size business owners, they have to be a manager and leader at the same time. Because they haven’t expanded enough yet to clone themselves and put a manager in place, while they are still the leader.

Thanks for these insights, Crystal.

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