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What are the main differentiating characteristics between a Manager and a Leader?

Having excellent managerial skills and being able to run a big complex organization solidly and efficiently, does not mean you are a leader. It simply means you are a superb manager.

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Question added by Sufian Awad , Founder & CEO , Caza Blue Trading Establishment
Date Posted: 2014/02/06
Farid Al-Amoudi
by Farid Al-Amoudi , General Manager of Business Operations and Legal Affairs/ Company Head , Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics (KSA)

There are many differences between a manager and a leader. A leader is a person who guides, directs and helps his team reach the goal through all means. A leader needs to be flexible and easily adapt to changes. He/She needs to lead the team by example and be able to convince the team for the best approach. A leader also needs to be a good lestener and not just a good director (i.e. he needs to take other ideas on board, identify their relevance and adapt them in to the plan even if they go against his own ideas so long as it is for the good of the project). A leader needs to be a team player and needs to make everyone feel like they are part of a team. He/She needs to continuously adapt and make everyone feel comfortable coming forward for suggestions or complaints.

 

A manager simply manages a desired plan and goes with regardless of what others think. 

 

It is difficult to find a great leader who has all leadership charactaristics. Most people (from my personal experience are more leaning towards being simple managers rather than great leaders. This is especially true in the Middle East).

 

There are many more differences, but to save everyone time, I think the above sufices for now.

 

Regards

Kashif khalil Khanzada
by Kashif khalil Khanzada , Manager , Five STAR CORPORATION Bhawalpur

manager have the managment learning bass skills and a leader have neutral managment and humanity skills.manger have not the best negotiation skills but the leader have the visionery negotiation skills

Firoz Ahmad Firoz
by Firoz Ahmad Firoz , Civil Site Engineer , K K Construction Pvt Ltd

Manager Managing the whole and the leader is dealing in a particular site.

Divyesh Patel
by Divyesh Patel , Assistant Professional Officer- Treasury , City Of Cape Town

A leader is someone who influences the behavior and work of others to achieve a goal.

 

A manager is a designated leader responsible for planning, organizing, directing and controlling a team to accomplish the set goal.

 

The biggest difference between leaders and managers is in the way they motivate the people who follow or work for them. Managers have subordinates, unless their title is given as a mark of seniority and honorary, while leaders do not. In terms of approach, a leader sets the direction while a manager plans the details. Leaders appeal to the heart while managers appeal to the head. A leader’s energy is passion, and that of the manager is control.

 

Three Differences Between Manager and Leader:

  1. Leader has social influence in which the person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.

    Manager controls an institution, business, or of a part, division, or phase of it.

     

  2. Manager usually obtains and directs resources to achieve an objective.

    Leader uses his visionary skills to set direction that a group follows.

     

  3. A Leader possesses a natural set of talents that inspire people to follow, to be loyal, and to produce.

    Managers do not have specific leadership qualities and talents or that does not be given guidance to draw them out sometimes work much harder than their subordinates to produce results for the company.

Ajikumar Gopinathan Nair
by Ajikumar Gopinathan Nair , Technical Consultant in Clean Kerala Co Ltd , Clean Keral Company Ltd

A Manager organizes, implement, monitor, control and achieve predetermined targets or mission whereas a leader inspires to innovate and achieve targets at greater heights.

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