Hiring a worthy leader is very hard and some companies do not know if they are employing a leader or a manager, which are two very different concepts.

1. The difference between leader and
manager you need to know
By Jason Hanold
Image courtesy of AgriLife Today Flickr.com

2. The difference between leader and
manager you need to know
Today, one of the greatest and most significant challenges for
companies is hiring good leaders for guide them. This is vital for
businesses, because, through its performance, organizations can
reach the goals they have in the best way. Besides, companies
must hire good leaders not only for getting their objectives but also
for promoting people and create engagement between them and
the organization.
Hiring a worthy leader is very hard and some companies do not
know if they are employing a leader or a manager, which are two
very different concepts. In other words, many times businesses do
not distinguish and understand that leaders and managers are two
different things, hiring the wrong person for some position and not
obtaining the desired objectives.

3. The difference between leader and
manager you need to know
To understand the difference between this two terms, it is
important to define them and know their main characteristics. In
addition, it is imperative to say that both concepts are not
exclusive, that is to say, that a good leader can be a good
manager.
Leadership
This concept could be defined as the ability that one person or
company has to direct and drive other persons or organizations.
Put differently, leadership is all those skills and capabilities that
somebody has to guide in the finest way other people or
companies, creating high commitment between them.
There are different studies defining multiple leadership styles, but
there are four which are the most known.

4. The difference between leader and
manager you need to know
Autocratic
This kind of governance is focused only on the leader, not the
persons. Decisions and other choices are taken only for it,
without taking into account the opinion of its subalterns.
Democratic
This kind of leadership is totally opposite to the Autocratic.
Here, leaders involve all their subordinates for decisions
making, besides, they support and promote all the initiatives
given by their employees.

5. The difference between leader and
manager you need to know
Free-rein
Here, the leader gives to one or multiple subalterns the power for
decisions making, without any guidance. In other words, here employees
are who control everything, not the leader.
Task-oriented
A task-oriented leader seeks only for reaching the assignments it has and
nothing else. Basically, this kind of leadership focuses on the production,
not the persons.
Knowing these leadership styles, it is important to say that no one is better
than another, they are simply different types of guidance, but a leader
who mix these four styles in the right way will create the perfect
engagement with its employees, letting them to growth both personally
and professionally. Moreover, it will be more successful reaching the
company’s goals and its objectives.

6. The difference between leader and
manager you need to know
Another fundamental element that leaders must consider are
the emotions. A good leader not only seeks to performance
and results but also promotes and motivates personal growth
through emotional skills, letting workers feel more
comfortable in their jobs.
In conclusion, a good leader is the one who knows how to
merge in the right way the mentioned leadership styles,
motivating and supporting people on the emotional side. In
other words, a good leader is who establishes in its subalterns
the perfect balance between work and emotions.

7. The difference between leader and
manager you need to know
Management
The concept of manager refers to those persons who barely
administrate the company resources, both financial and
human. The manager figure is just the one who rules and
supervises their subordinates without going beyond the
results.
It is important to say that managers are not negatives
elements in companies, but currently, companies need more
than a simple person who controls and supervises working
tasks. Today’s organizations are in a very dynamic world and
they need people who motivate and stimulate workers
beyond their responsibilities and assignments.

8. The difference between leader and
manager you need to know
Some differences between leader and manager
Understanding what is the meaning of each concept, some
differences between them can be defined.
Presently, companies need persons who innovate, not those
who do always the same things. This is a very essential
distinction between a leader and a manager. Leaders create
new things and develop multiple alternatives for making
things, while managers do always the same, without doing
significant changes in how they do things.

9. The difference between leader and
manager you need to know
As it was mentioned before, managers focus on tasks, production and
company’s structure, while leaders focus on people and emotions.
Currently, companies have understood that happy workers are results, so
if employees are emotionally strong and comfortable with their jobs, their
performance will be higher. Managers do not worry about this, they just
seek results over everything else.
Another amazing and remarkable difference between these two types of
governance is that leaders inspire people, while managers just control
them. This could be one of the most significant distinctions between
leadership and management because inspiring workers is the best way to
create engagement with them. In other words, a person who inspires
other, can make it more productive and committed. Managers just control,
making employees to do just what they have to do with no motivation and
self initiative.
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