Previously I blogged about the traits of a manager versus a leader. Today I was reminded of another comparison from The Source of Leadership.
In the recent note, David references the 12 distinctions between a manager and a leader Warren Bennis published almost 20 years ago:
- Managers administer, leaders innovate
- Managers ask how and when, leaders ask what and why
- Managers focus on systems, leaders focus on people
- Managers do things right, leaders do the right things
- Managers maintain, leaders develop
- Managers rely on control, leaders inspire trust
- Managers have a short-term perspective, leaders have a longer-term perspective
- Managers accept the status-quo, leaders challenge the status-quo
- Managers have an eye on the bottom line, leaders have an eye on the horizon
- Managers imitate, leaders originate
- Managers emulate the classic good soldier, leaders are their own person
- Managers copy, leaders show originality
So, are you a leader or a manager today? What are ways you can evolve yourself into displaying leadership characteristics if you do not already? Can you be both a leader and a manager simultaneously, and do you need to to be successful?
Stay tuned for more on this topic.