Are you a manager or a leader?

Many people can state that there is a difference between a manager and a leader. However, when asked to state the difference they do not have a certain answer. 

A study by Wayne Turk on Manager or Leader, explains that leadership and management I surly not the same however, “they can and should be combined”.

He explains that the distinction between the two is the reason that the leaders are followed by choice compared to managers; they have to be obeyed. This is due to the fact that managers are in a position of authority.

Leaders will need to be able to, set the pace, provide vision, inspire others, and more. Their skills need to go beyond to make people “believe the impossible” as mentioned by Jim Clemmons in Wayne Turk’s study.

While researching more about managers, Kotterman James’s study on Leadership Versus Management also states that leadership and management are very similar however, they are two different things. 

He explains that “mangers will need to plan and budget for projects while leaders establish direction”. He also adds that they control and resolve problems. He ends his research by stating that “managers produce standards, consistency, predictability, and order”.

In conclusion, an organisation to be successful it needs both a good leader and a competent manager. In Kotterman James’s study, he concludes by saying “It is unusual for one person to have the skills to serve as both an inspiring leader and a professional manager”.

This doesn’t mean that a manager cannot be a great leader, they need to have leadership skills to manage a project or a task however, both have their differences. 

An interesting quiz that shows if you are a leader or a follower can be found bellow:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/natalyalobanova/are-you-a-leader-or-a-follower