10 Major Differences between Leader and Manager

What is the difference between leader and manager?

This question Pops up in every one's mind. well, leadership and management are evidently different from each other. Leaders develop followers and the managers manage people. Both are important for any company and organization to run its course. Leaders are not afraid of formal authority or positional equity. Leaders believe in the followers and encourage them to do and be more. The leaders challenge you to think big and dream, both professionally as well as spiritually. If needed, they also rectify you, if you're a bit off balance and need help, while the managers manage all the staff and ensure all the running of the organization. There are 10 major differences between leader and manager as pointed out by Scott Williams.

1.      Essence: Stability vs. Change

Managers are about stability. They focus of maintaining the management in the organizations. They set goals and make efforts to accomplish those goals for the group are the staff, and decides what to do to maintain the running of the organization. On the contrary, leaders are about changes. They change the status quo of the company or organization. They do not manage the internal work what managers do.

2.      Rules: Make It vs. Break It

 Managers make the rules. They plan each and everything pertaining to run the organization and make rules so that the staff runs in accordance with those rules whereas leaders break the rules. The leaders are not bound to abide by what managers make end exercise for the running of the organization. He breaks all those rules to run everything on his own way.

3.      Approach: Plans Detail vs. Sets Direction

Managers plan details of the work they need to do to run their course. Managers plan everything with regard to current and the future plans. On the contrary, leaders set direction to run the course of the company or organization. Organization follows the direction what the leader set for it.  

4.      Culture: Execute vs. Shape

Leaders shape the culture the way they make the direction of an organization for the staff and managers to follow. Managers execute the culture set by the leaders.

5.      Conflict: Avoid vs. Use

Managers avoid conflict to run the company smoothly while leaders use conflict as an asset. The leaders are expert in taking advantage of using conflict as an asset to get advantage.

6.      Direction: Existing Roads vs. New Roads

 Managers do not make changes in the course of running the organization therefore they choose the safe existing directions. In contrast to it, leaders make new directions to run the course of the company.

7.      Credit: Take vs. Give

As managers work under the supervision and direction of the leader, they take credit for their good performance; while leaders give credit to others as they do not themselves need credit from the lower staff.

8.      Decisions: Makes vs. Facilitates

Managers make the decisions in order to ensure the running of an organization or the company; leaders facilitate them and provide them everything the managers need.

9.      Vision: Tell vs. Sell

 Managers tell the vision of the organizations as they are the planners whereas leaders sell the vision.

10.  Style: Transactional vs. Transformational

Managers are transactional in their style while leaders are transformational. They transform the current setting to better ones.