The Difference Between Management and Leadership
By leadership author and keynote speaker Ross Shafer
Is there a difference between Management? and…Leadership? YES! This week I want to talk about the vast difference between Management and Leadership…because a lot of people think they mean the same thing. They don’t. I was doing Q & A for a large association in Miami this week and I thought leaders would want to spout off about it…but the majority of the discussion came from employees and staff. Non-managers see it this way. We HAVE to do what management says…but we WANT to do what leadership says.
See the difference. Management is just that…someone who manages the moving parts, organizes tasks, and makes sure things get done on time. But Leadership motivates the soul. Leadership has the emotional component that inspires people to go beyond what they HAVE to do…Leaders focus on WHY the mission is important. If a leader can tell a compelling story (related to the people you serve) you give the team a reason to believe your company matters…which in turn causes them to WANT to participate… and in some cases…work during their off-hours to contribute to your purpose. So how do you go from a Manager to a Leader? I’ll go back to what the non-managers told us. Leaders encourage me. Managers pressure me. Leaders want to see me succeed. Managers just want me to do my job on time.
Even if they can’t articulate it, The best leaders are other-centered. They think about other people during the process…not just the outcome. So ask yourself. Am I in management? or am I in leadership? Do my team members follow me because they HAVE to…or do they follow me because they WANT to? Think about how you come across to your team. Are you pressuring them – or are you encouraging them. When they don’t complete a task on time, do you get angry and threatening – or do you offer to help them solve the problem solution – in a humble way? If you don’t know the difference…please replay this video from the beginning…and I say that will all humility.
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Ross Shafer is the author of (9) popular business books and (14) human resource training films. In a former career Ross won (6) Television Emmy awards for his work as a TV host, writer, and producer. Today, Ross is a sought after keynote speaker and consultant for Fortune 500 companies worldwide.