Leadership Vs. Management
Many leadership gurus today will tell you that leadership and management are the same thing and that my friend could not be further from the truth. Leadership is not management and management is not leadership, however leaders need managers and managers need leaders. Many leaders have some management traits and likewise managers possess some leadership qualities but they are not the same. So what is the main difference between leaders and managers? I can put it in one powerful phrase. Leaders initiate and navigate change…managers maintain! There it is! Leaders have a different gift mix and drive than managers. Leaders elevate organizations and companies while managers follow through with process and procedures in order to allow for those changes to continue and function properly. Managers are not built for change like leaders are. Managers love consistency and predictability. Leaders love the adventure of transformation. Leaders are never present where they are. They are always thinking about NEXT! Here are seven differences between leaders and managers…
Leaders birth change…managers maintain
Leaders love transformation…managers love consistency
Leaders think next…managers think now
Leaders think end result…managers think current cost
Leaders think spend…managers think save
Leaders think push the boundaries…managers think obey the boundaries
Leaders think release…managers think control
Now remember that I mentioned that leaders and managers often carry each other’s traits. However, each will have a definite focus on these characteristics above. Leaders and managers are not the same. Leaders are change agents. They challenge the status quo. A leader will enter an organization and immediately find what needs to be changed. They are there to take the company or organization to the next level. A new CEO is not brought on board for the purpose of doing the same thing that the last CEO did. If that were the case the organization would’ve just kept the last leader. No, they brought in the new CEO to take the company to another level by initiating change and innovation. Why, because leaders are agents of change. Leaders birth change and managers maintain. Managers implement the changes that the leaders initiate. Which brings me to the next difference. Leaders love transformation while managers love consistency. Managers goal is to keep things running the smoothly from month to month. Managers love consistency. The next difference between leaders and managers is that manager love transformation while leaders love consistency. Leaders are constantly trying to transform where they are currently at. They want to transform the systems of the organization while making the process for doing business more streamlined.Leaders are leaners and continuing education is big in today’s organizational constructs. Leaders tolerate today while they live in tomorrow. Leaders are concerned about the growth of their people., because they know that if the people grow the organization grows. Mangers however, love consistency. They want to see the paperwork filled and filed properly. They want to run the reports and make sure the numbers are where they need to be.Leaders always defer to the purpose of the organization, while managers always defer to the process. Leaders will focus on where the organization will be in ten year while manager’s focus on where the company is now. Leaders think next while managers think now.Leaders will always think results while mangers will always think cost. We have all been to the meetings where the leaders in the organization were casting vision for the coming year and everyone could see the manager’s faces. You could almost read their thoughts. Well, how much is that going to cost? Many times leaders see the characteristics of managers and are triggered by that and visa versa for manager, as they are triggered by a leaders seeming irresponsible dreaming. But thee are not bad characteristics they are different and necessary. For example leaders think push the boundaries while managers think obey the boundaries. When managers see leaders coloring outside the lines they often become suspicious instead of allowing the leader to do what he does best. If managers and leaders could stay in their respective lanes we could get a lot more done. A famous passage of scripture penned by the Apostle Paul reminds us in I Corinthians 12:15, “Now if the foot should say, “because I am not the hand I do not belong to the body”, it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.” Skip over to verse nineteen, it tells us, 19 “If they were all one part, where would the body be?” The leader cannot say because I am not the manager I am not part of this organization and the manager cannot say because I am not the leader I am not a part of this organization. The whole is always made up of the parts. We often get a rejection complex because we are different from those around us in the organization. When it would not be an organization at all if everyone was the same. Leaders are extroverted while managers tend to be more introverted. Extroverts are easy to talk to but introverts tend to be more awkward and harder to engage in conversation. Here are seven characteristics of extroverts…
Expressive
Take initiative
Articulate
Confident
Personable
Opinionated
Pushy
Here are seven characteristics of introverts…
Awkward
Introspective
Hesitant
Quiet
Passive
Fear rejection
Standoffish
Now I’m not saying everyone has to have an extroverted personality but everyone needs to be extroverted in some area of their life. Everyone needs expression. They may not be extroverted with their personality but they can be extroverted with their gifts and talents. Here are seven areas where one can be extroverted…
Their personality
Their creativity
Their spirituality
Their productivity
Their priorities
Their camaraderie
Their polarity
What do I mean by this? Introverted people often find disengagement easy. Introverted people tend to live in a state of disengagement instead of finding where they are naturally extroverted they never really discover where they engage the best. Some have extroverted personalities and no one is a stranger. They share love and affection very easily. Extroverted personalities know how to make people feel important and valuable. They are great natural leaders. But one can also be extroverted in their creativity. You may not be the life of the party but you have a special gift to be creative and your extroversion comes out in your creative expression. You’re still an extrovert just in a different area of your life. Some are spiritually extroverted. They love to talk about spiritual things and like myself write books and dive deep into the study of the Bible. Others can be extroverted in productivity. They get the job done. They are finishers! These people love to stay busy. They might not say much but they let their work do the talking. Others can be extroverted in their priorities. They are goal setters and are quick to teach others the best way to do things. These people understand structure and strategy and make good managers. They are organizationally expressive and find a place for everything. Still other can be extroverted in their comradery. They are relational and make friends easily. These people are socially extroverted and consider spending time with others a great investment. Finally there are those that are expressive in their polarity. They are not afraid to disagree. They always offer a perspective that may be different from others and challenges the status quo. Just because one is not extroverted in their personality does not mean that they are not extroverted in one of these areas. Sometimes being introverted is nothing more than a comfort zone and an excuse for being disengaged. Find where you are extroverted and be expressive to those around you. Someone needs what you have. Someone cannot start unless you finish. Philippians 2:12-14 is a famous passage that says, “12 Therefore my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his god pleasure.” Now let’s stop right here for a minute. This passage starts out with the word “continue”. In other words it is not what you do that makes you successful it is what you continue to do that makes you a success. To continue mean to take it to completion. It says to “Work out” your salvation. Verse 13 then tells us it is God who works in you. So what am I trying to say here? Then verse thirteen ends with, “For it is God who works in you to will and to do for His pleasure.” The word “Will” in the Greek means a future and the word “Do” means to be active. So we can interpret this passage as saying that there is an ACTIVE FUTURE that God has put in you, and you have to work it OUT! You have got to work out what God already worked in you. God put the active future of His will inside of you but it is up to you to work it OUT! Get it out, release it, unlock it! That is what it means to engage with your purpose. You have to engage with what God has already put inside of you. Be extroverted with your faith and stop worrying about what others think of you. You cannot influence people if you are concerned about how everyone thinks about you. You should be more concerned about how you think about them. Assess people and look for the gold in their lives. Look for the places where they are extroverted and engaged.
Chapter Review and Key Points
• Many leaders have some management traits and likewise managers possess some leadership qualities but they are not the same. So what is the main difference between leaders and managers? I can put it in one powerful phrase. Leaders initiate and navigate change…managers maintain!
• Leaders always defer to the purpose of the organization, while managers always defer to the process. Leaders will focus on where the organization will be in ten year while manager’s focus on where the company is now. Leaders think next while managers think now.
• When managers see leaders coloring outside the lines they often become suspicious instead of allowing the leader to do what he does best. If managers and leaders could stay in their respective lanes we could get a lot more done.
• Others can be extroverted in productivity. They get the job done. They are finishers! These people love to stay busy. They might not say much but they let their work do the talking. Others can be extroverted in their priorities. They are goal setters and are quick to teach others the best way to do things. These people understand structure and strategy and make good managers.