Manager or Leader Which Are You?

There’s a difference between being a boss and a leader. Which one are you?

Webster’s definitions of a boss include: A person who exercises control over others and makes decisions, usually the person of highest rank or authority, a supervisor, a person who commands in a domineering manner.

In contrast the definitions for a leader include: A person who rules, guides, inspires, escorts, directs, influences, persuades, and is out and ahead of or at the head of others. They have influence, power, and commanding authority over those they lead. They tend toward a certain goal or result, are in the foremost position, and usually “pull” people toward what becomes a common vision. People usually follow a leader because they want to rather than have to.

Influential leaders, who lead with great ethics, whether they are Prime Ministers, Kings, corporate CEOs, Girl Guide or Scout leaders, bare some traits in common. They are passionate about what they do and what they believe in; they are visionaries, can see the “big picture”, and are driven inside to draw people into what they believe – to jump on the train with them.

A manager in a restaurant sees tables and chairs that need to be filled, customers that need to be fed, employees that need to be scheduled, doors that need fixed, floors that need to be cleaned, the end of the day/week accounting that needs to be done and marketing that needs to be planned. They work toward these ends, seeing them to fulfillment, sometimes in very creative ways.

A leader in a restaurant sees those things too, but he or she also feels excitement about being in business, or about making profit from people’s need for food and associate atmosphere and how that profit can be poured back into the restaurant to give it a competitive edge over other restaurants. They care about, and inspire, their staff, realizing that they are the front line ambassadors of the restaurant. They not only see where the restaurant is at now, but they also envision what it will look like or how it will impact their community ten years from now. Whether they actually own the restaurant or not, they make the restaurant their own.

With good leaders, people usually feel drawn, or “pulled”, into the same vision. Have you ever gone into a restaurant and been treated so well by the staff there that you just knew that you would return again? Not only did you just receive knock your socks off customer service, but you also met employees empowered by the vision of a true leader.

A leader usually develops and motivates leaders under them. People who get “fired-up” and captivated by the vision and rise to the occasion.

For leaders, leadership is a way of life. If there's leadership spontaneously required at a gathering, leaders will step up to bat, even if it's just to open a door as people arrive.

Can a manager be a leader? Definitely.