Manager vs. Leader: A Stellar Conflict

Not so long ago, in a galaxy not so far far away...okay maybe it is not that dramatic but the struggle is real. Managers are challenged with the task of making sure processes run smoothly and the team is effective. Good managers can be not so great leaders. We want our team to be leaders in life. Han Solo is exciting and snarky but would you really want him as a boss? A manager without leadership skills can end up being a real Darth Vader, trying to mentally force work out of you with the only means they have available, bully tactics. We want Yodas! We need people who are calm and cool under pressure but can throw down with the giants if needed. Their mere presence makes the dark side tremble in fear.

Okay, Okay I may have geeked out there but you get my point. Leaders are intentional and intelligent about building a team and developing them to also be leaders. Dave Ramsey points out in his Entreleadership series that leaders are also servants to their company and team. So my padawans let's talk about the differences between leaders and managers and why it is so important to know them.

Managers

To put it in simple terms: the title of manager defines a role in which someone is responsible for a group and the work they do. This person is also responsible for using incentives and corrective actions to keep the group on task and meeting the basic functions of their jobs. 

Not all managers are leaders, and not all leaders are managers. A manager is only as successful as their ability to lead the team. Not all managers are bad. A good manager can meet the functions of their title but be a poor leader. The best managers exceed expectations in the functions of their role by leading their team well.

When I asked the team to tell me what words they would use to describe a manager here are a few things they threw out:

Task-oriented           Boss               Responsible            Implementer

If you go on the Internet and look for articles about management versus leadership (which I highly encourage you to do and it was my teams first assignment) you will find more descriptions like:

Managers exercise power over others, tell people what to do, react to situations, make decisions, take credit for the good stuff and give discipline for the bad. 

Leaders

I found a great definition of a leader on this website http://www.vtaide.com/gleanings/leader.htm which is "a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal.." A leader can be anyone. There are influential people in every team and not all of them are put into management roles. A good manager/leader knows the value of having these people on their team. 

I asked the team to describe leaders as well and these are a few of the responses:

Inspirational    People-oriented   Motivator    Passionate

Again, if you go onto the Internet you can find great articles that go deeper into defining a leader. Some more of the most defining qualities of a leader to me is that they are mentors, respected, create unity, lift others up, and they are servants. Leaders do not seek power but often earn it. They know the true burden of it because they know they carry the team and the responsibility of the team's success or failure. Leaders recognize the passion in others and inspire it. They do not take the light out of their team's eyes. 

We started our leadership classes to help our team develop into Obi Wans and Yodas and to avoid the traps of falling into the dark side of micromanagement. We need managers to get the work done, but we need leaders to help us serve our patients, our team, and their families. We take our role as servants with pleasure. We may not really be Jedi Knights but we are just as serious about mentoring our team to be good people and incredible leaders. 

Scriptures:

Philippians 2:3       Luke 6:31     Psalms 78:72      Proverbs 29:2      Luke 22:26