One of my most popular slides in the seminars I deliver is from the Leadership Challenge course we designed a couple of years ago so I thought I would share it with you. A few delegates reminded me the other day how it made a difference to them!

In an interconnected world where boundaries are increasingly cultural not geographic, where we are managing the human imagination not muscle power, where expectations are hugely different from 30 years ago and where change is spirally out of control, it’s important to understand and practice those things that help leaders of people make a contribution, add value and bring that extra dynamism to the organisation that ensures order, yet creativity at the same time.

So what is the difference between managers and leaders, well here is my stab at it:

1. Managers does things right, the leader does the right thing
2. Managers focus on the now, leaders focus on the future
3. The manager seeks control, leaders relish change
4. Managers appeal to reason not emotion, leaders appeal to both
5. A manager will use control, a leader relies on trust because they have created that culture
6. Managers organise and will often do the work, leaders engage people to do the work
7. Managers will often apply incentives (typically financial), leaders inspire
8. A manager will use the official approach, leaders will always appeal to the common approach
9. The managers goal is efficiency, the leaders, effectiveness and added value
10. A manager will often use positional authority, a leader personally influences
11. A manager will ask what contribution their staff are making, a leader will ask him/herself, what contribution am I making first
12. A manager will say they have all the answers, a leader will truly believe that together they have all the answers

I could go on and, okay, I accept that occasionally you have to be both, particularly in a small business. But and its a big but, if you are the head, director, owner, MD, of a small business, you should be behaving as a leader at least 80% of the time with your managers/supervisors, employees behaving like managers.

Behaving like a leader gives you time, time to catch your breath and think about where your heading. What the purpose is, the true purpose of your business and it gives you chance to stay ahead of the strategic curve and manage the rapid change more effectively.