Leader versus manager? A common question asked by technical specialists or managers wanting to move into leadership roles is ‘What is the difference between leadership and management?’
At a high level, it can be helpful to think of leadership as being about setting direction, and management as being about executing against a plan.
If we take this a step further, we can flesh out what this means at a more granular level. For example:
| DOMAIN | Manager | Leader |
| VISION | Delivering the vision and strategy | Creating the vision and strategy |
| TIME HORIZON | Focusing more on the short- to medium-term view (e.g. daily, monthly, quarterly results) | Focusing more on longer-term horizon (e.g. looking at where we will be in one year, three years) |
| CULTURE | Championing culture | Shaping culture |
| PERFORMANCE | Managing and guiding performance | Shaping performance |
This distinction is something we have scoped out at YES Psychology—and develop further in our leadership programs. But we also encourage leaders and managers to think about these distinctions as a ‘forced comparison’, one that enables us to more clearly see those points of difference, rather than seeing them as a definitive separation. [ view full table of forced comparisons ]
While it might be appealing to think that managers require a distinct and unique set of skills, and leaders require another, the reality is that it’s more a matter of balance and emphasis.
In our view, leadership without management and management without leadership are both doomed to failure.
It’s a view recently shared by Ronald Riggio in Psychology Today, who said ‘effective managers need to behave as leaders—keeping true to the mission, helping to set direction, developing followers, and motivating everyone toward goal attainment, all while doing the right thing’. Equally, leaders who are out of touch with the day-to-day running of their organisations are at risk of being seen as disconnected by their teams. Ultimately, this can impact their credibility as a leader, and the ability of individuals to relate to that leader and feel like they ‘understand what it’s really like’.
Imagine instead two sliding scales – one being leadership skills and one being management skills – that you operate together, and you can dial up or down, depending on what’s needed.
So, if management and leadership go hand-in-hand, how do we maximise our effectiveness by getting that sliding scale right?
Here are four tips.
1) Develop self-awareness – According to Forbes, self-awareness elevates leadership effectiveness. We agree and we believe it elevates management effectiveness too. As a leader, think about what you should be focused on and where you should be spending your time. There may be times when you need to move into more of a management mode. That’s okay – but be intentional about it. Make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. The same applies for managers.
2) Be wary of going back into your comfort zone – When you’re making the transition from technical expert to manager, or manager to leader, it’s very easy to find yourself reverting back to your comfort zone, or into areas where you like to play. Of course, there will be times when a leader will benefit from moving more into management mode, and when a manager will benefit from moving more into leadership mode, but it’s essential that we don’t drift into another mode for the wrong reason. Drifting from management into leadership or leadership into management (without explanation) can create uncertainty and can disempower your team. It may leave a gap or a void that others need to fill – or it may impact the performance of the organisation if it’s something you should be doing but aren’t.
3) Clarify expectations and create a shared understanding – When you move into a leadership or management role, ask yourself three questions:
- What does my organisation expect of me? (as a leader or manager)
- What do I expect?
- What does my team expect?
Creating a shared understanding between yourself and your team, of what they can expect from you as their leader (or manager) will pay huge dividends. Often, we don’t talk about our expectations– or seek to understand those of the team. We have seen challenges arise in teams where the team has one expectation of what their leader or manager should be doing, and the leader or manager has a different vision. Really hearing your team and having these ‘crucial conversations’ can make all the difference.
4) Seek out development opportunities – Many times, we have seen technical specialists reluctant to move into a management role, or managers steer away from a leadership position, because they feel they don’t have the skills to step into that space. Taking part in formal development opportunities can help demystify what it means to be an effective manager or leader (e.g. what it means to engage in strategic thinking, how to have effective crucial conversations with team members.) While there is huge benefit to learning on the job, engaging in a structured development program can increase our confidence in leading and managing teams, and uncover our potential.
At YES Psychology, we have supported individuals in making the transition from being a technical expert to manager, and from manager to leader. We understand how to help individuals make that transition, the importance of self-awareness, and building the core skills and mindset that will enable success. We apply years of experience to help individuals develop robust leadership skills and effective coaching skills.
Leadership training and executive coaching can facilitate productive change in people, teams, and systems by enabling leaders, managers, and in turn, employees to uncover potential that might otherwise go untapped.
To explore how we can help strengthen the leadership skills of your managers, leaders or technical experts, contact us for more information.
Author: Dr Lisa Mayocchi has over 20 years’ experience in the UK and Australia, helping to improve leadership, culture, resilience, wellbeing and engagement in sectors including health, education, justice, and financial regulation. With a Doctorate in Organisational Psychology, Lisa has co-authored papers on “stress and coping, career transitions, transferable skills, and the experience of high-performance athletes”.