6 Differences between leaders

and managers
October 29, 2012 by Jack Dunigan

photo by Stefan Wagner,http://trumpkin.de

In my last post I mentioned the capacities of insight and outsight, two

characteristics which distinguish leaders from managers. Leaders, as set
apart from management tasks, are supposed to “see” further and deeper
than those who serve under them. It is the “Line of Sight” principle.
Here are 6 differences. There are doubtless many more, but for this
elementary exploration, these set the stage. I’d like to hear from you on this
topic, too.
1. Effective leaders think longer term while managers are unit
thinkers. Managers process steps, checklists, charts, systems, and
diagrams. Please don’t think I am maligning managers. Managers are
absolutely and comprehensively necessary to the efficient function of
a group. But their responsibilities are different. Managers exercise
leadership to some degree but of necessity limit themselves to units of
time, quantities of product, and/or scheduling of events. Leaders, at
least the effective ones, have a knack for considering the long-term
effects of the processes managers must manage.
2. Effective leaders look beyond the unit they are heading and
grasp its relationship to larger realities. They are able to
connect the pieces and see how one unit plays into another then joins
with yet another to create the desired result. Managers continue to
focus their attention upon processes even if those processes no longer
contribute to the end objectives or their validity has been lost. When I
lived and worked in the Caribbean, I learned that it took a great deal
 of effort to get a driver’s license. There were endless papers that had
to be completed, medical exams that had to be passed, and you had to
find someone to take two passport-size photos so the license bureau
could laminate them into your license. The island government finally
decided to join the modern world and purchased computerized
equipment that enabled them to take a photo at the window and
produce a driver’s license on the spot. For many months following the
introduction of these machines, applicants still had to bring with
them two passport size photos. Clerks would collect the photos and
staple them to the application, then ask the applicant to stand still
while his or her photo was taken by the computer for the license.
Finally someone asked why two passport photos were still required
when the computer took the license photo? The response? “Because it
is on the checklist and the manager says we have to follow the list!”
3. Effective leaders reach and influence constituents beyond
their jurisdictions. Managers are limited by geography and focus
to their particular place in the organizational plan. Leader’s see up
and out, but manager’s focus down and within. The effects of effective
leadership are usually far-reaching. Decisions and supporting actions
change the nature of business, politics, culture, and life. Managers, on
the other hand, are committed to keeping systems running as they
are. When leaders lead they build recognition. Their renown spreads.
Others see what they’ve done or hear about it and success promotes
emulation. This is the “tide effect.” When the tide rises, all boats float
higher. Effective leaders bring success to everyone in the group, to
any associated groups within the company or organization, and to
some extent, to the competition in business. How? Departments win
or lose as units. Companies succeed or fail entirely. Along the way,
those leaders responsible for segments of the operation can inspire
others to action. Competition provokes imitation. When another’s
group does better than ours, we are prompted to overtake them. The
reverse is true, too. When my company does well my competitors
don’t just roll over and give up. They respond by improving. Look at
McDonalds and its many imitators. Burger King, Wendy’s, Arby’s,
and more continually practice one-upmanship. McDonalds set the
 standard and they keep raising the bar. Apple Computers does the
same.
4. Effective leaders put heavy emphasis on the intangibles of
vision, values, and motivation. They understand the non-rational
and unconscious elements that characterize and influence interaction
between leaders and their constituents. This is where leaders really
shine. They don’t have to be very specific. Painting with a broad brush
attracts the widest audience. Followers love to hear of grand and
sweeping vistas yet to be realized. Presidents Reagan and Obama
were very gifted at this. They both spoke in terms that resonated with
listeners but avoided being very specific which allowed those listeners
to draw their own conclusions about what the speaker was promising.
That the interpretations might have had little to do with what the
leader could actually do was, at the point of speaking, irrelevant. It is
the very act of inspiration that matters. Managers usually don’t even
attempt to do this. They just get through the day getting the task list
completed.
5. Effective leaders have the political skill to cope with
conflicting requirements of multiple constituencies. I confess
that is much easier said than done. Leaders are a great deal like kings
or queens trying to unify heretofore competitive fiefdoms so as to join
them together to participate in a common vision. Lee Iacocca
reported that the condition that nearly brought the Chrysler
Corporation to ruin was competing constituencies within. While it is
critical that leaders focuses forward and outward, failure to pay
attention within may render their entire visionary acumen
meaningless. Conversely, it is the skill of the leader in selling his/her
vision that can unite competitors and turn efforts toward the future.
Inability to inspire and unite, or the refusal of constituents to
participate in your vision as leader while pursuing their own vision is
to permit, perhaps even promote two (or more) visions. This is di-
vision, the condition wherein attention and effort is incapable of
focus. Division will destroy any company or organization. I address
this very critical skill in my book “What You See is What You
Get.”
 6. Effective leaders think in terms of renewal. Managers, by
virtue of their role and responsibilities, are like maintainers. They oil
the machinery of organization and operation keeping its schedules
and procedures running smoothly. They tend to become protective of
those schedules and procedures and consequently resist change.
Leaders understand the times and know that the times always
change. History is cluttered with the bones of once glorious nations,
companies, and organizations that simply failed to adapt to changing
times. Renewal is not a fresh coat of paint. Renewal is to make new,
not just makeover the old.
What differences have you noticed? What similarities do you see?