Just because your business card says manager doesn’t mean
you are a Leader!
Two distinctively different abilities by definition.
Manager – a grouping of abilities that provides one knowledge
to react and plan for eventual outcomes
Leader – a talent that defines one’s reactionary capabilities
and the providing of guidance for others to overcome.
Which grouping do you fit into? They don’t have to be
exclusive of one another but most of the time, this is exactly the case.
Leaders can be found at all levels of organizations—not exclusively at the top.
I spent time throughout my career working with and for
individuals of both varieties. I also have worked with and for individuals that
fit neither definition.
For my money, given the opportunity to choose, hands down I
would pick the Leader. The challenges, the eventual rewards and the inevitable
failures will provide much, much more in long term satisfaction than settling
for a Manager.
Count on it!
