The Essence of Managers vs. Leaders

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Understanding the nuanced differences between managers and leaders is crucial for organizational success. Jens Heitland, a renowned leadership expert, recently shed light on this critical topic during his Leadership Bootcamp. This article explores the essence of managers versus leaders, emphasizing how authority is obtained and exercised differently in each role.

The Manager's Authority:

Managers typically derive their authority from their official position within an organization. This positional authority allows them to delegate tasks and direct their team towards achieving organizational goals. Employees report to managers and follow their directives primarily because of the formal hierarchy. This traditional setup is prevalent in many organizations and forms the backbone of structured management practices.

The Leader's Authority:

In contrast, leaders gain authority through the willingness of their followers. Leadership is less about a formal position and more about influence and inspiration. Leaders are those whom people choose to follow because they believe in the vision and values the leader represents. This voluntary authority fosters a more engaged and motivated team, leading to higher performance and commitment.

Combining Management and Leadership:

One of the key takeaways from Jens Heitland's session is the possibility and necessity of integrating leadership qualities into managerial roles. A manager who can inspire and motivate their team, much like a leader, can achieve exceptional results. This involves adopting a leadership style that encourages team members to willingly follow and support the manager's direction.

The Impact on Team Performance:

The difference between a manager who merely manages and one who leads is starkly evident in team performance. Teams led by inspiring leaders are more likely to go above and beyond, driven by a shared belief in the leader's vision. Conversely, teams managed solely through positional authority may only perform to the minimum requirements, lacking genuine engagement and enthusiasm.

Watch the Video of the Live Leadership Bootcamp

Understanding the distinction between managers and leaders is pivotal for anyone looking to drive meaningful change within their organization. By learning to lead while managing, you can foster a work environment where team members are not just compliant but genuinely committed to the collective goals. As Jens Heitland emphasizes, the best situation is where managers become leaders who inspire their teams to excel.

By integrating these principles into your leadership approach, you can transform your managerial practices and achieve greater success with your team. Stay tuned for more insights and strategies from Jens Heitland's Leadership Bootcamp.

Transcript of the video:

Manager versus leader. For me, there are extreme differences between a manager and leader, and I want you to write this down for yourself as well.

 On the left side of this canvas, we see the manager on the right side, we see the leader. The key differences for me are, if you are a manager, you get the position and the authority to manage people through the position you have. So authority through position, very, very important.

If you are a manager, then people are reporting to you that means you have the authority to guide them into a direction delegating tasks. That's the normal setup you have in a lot of organizations.

And of course, that's what we are all used to. What is the difference towards the leader? So if we just move, This one over. You see already on the sketches in the middle, a leader has also authority, but the leader gets the authority differently. The leader gets the authority from the people who are willing to give the leader the authority.

So a leader gains the authority because the people are willing to follow that leader. Or let's just keep it like this. So a big difference in an organization, you are a manager. That means you can be a manager, but you can be on top a leader.

And that's the situation where I want to get us. If you are a manager who understands that, if you use a leadership style that helps people to be willing to follow you, to be willing to follow your direction, to be part of a team, and they're eager to be with you, that's the best situation you can have.

The opposite of that is you are a manager that is pushing people into a certain direction and they just do this because you are the manager. They're not doing this because they believe in the cause. They believe in what you're standing for. They just do this because they're getting paid for it. Huge differences in the performance of the team members.

So for me, what you need to learn and what we will go into today is how do you learn to lead while being a manager?

So that's number one. Write this down for yourself. Understand for yourself, manager versus leader.

If you write this in your own words, it's always sticking better. And that's why I have a canvas for you.