Leadership vs. Management (Part 1)

“I want you to fire two people today.”

One of my former executives (we will call him Sean) had just walked to one of my former peers/fellow sales manager’s desk (let’s call him Mark), pulled him into an office and shut the door. Mark replied, “Sure, who and why?”

Sean replied with, “I don’t care who it is, you choose, but I want two people gone today. I am tired of walking through your area and not seeing enough activity. It’s time to send a message to your group and to those who will remain.”

As I am sure many of you who are reading this have, I have read many books on leadership and management. I have also had many managers in my young career. I consider myself very lucky to be in the position I am in;  at 31 years old, I have held management positions, had as many as 52 people reporting to me and experienced things professionally that not one of my friends can relate to. It’s just business, right? Regardless of my past roles or experience, it doesn’t mean I am a good leader (I like to think I am) but what it does mean is that I have seen a lot of “leadership” in my career thus far. Through it all, if I had to choose one major takeaway it’s this: there is a distinct and obvious difference between a leader and a manager.

Having the title of a manager or boss does not make you a great leader. In fact, I would argue that most “leaders” aren’t good leaders at all – they are good managers. What I find to be ironic is that most companies consider a manager and a leader to be one and the same. And if they don’t, they certainly don’t do a good job of showing otherwise.

Take, for example, your typical Sales Manager promotion. In my experience, the likely candidates are always your top reps. Seems logical, I guess. As they continue to sell and sell some more, they make an impression and work their way up the ranks. They eventually become a Sales Manager and are tasked with “leading” a sales team to achieve a larger sales goal. The very issue with leadership starts right then and there with their role and title.

You see, the title of a Sales Manager or Marketing Manager, or whatever your manager title is, should mean just that. You are expected to manage people.  Managing people is like being a glorified, adult babysitter. You are tasked with making sure that your people are doing the right daily activities to reach their goals and get projects done. You make sure they are hitting their numbers so that you can hit your numbers. “Did you make 60 phone calls today?  How many hours of talk time did you have?” Or, my favorite, “Let’s role play before your next phone call or listen to a recorded phone call to talk about what you could have done differently.” Right, so you mean if I think the way you think, I would just do better.

I can’t tell you how many times I have seen a manager spend time with someone “teaching” them how to sell just like they did. If it were that easy, everyone would do it. However, this is often looked at as leadership and leading an individual!

All of those things are qualities and skills of a manager. None of that is leadership. So if someone does really well at those things (and all the other tasks that you know are similar), it doesn’t make them a good leader. Yet, this is what most managers do and believe to be leadership. They believe that if their team hits their numbers, they have displayed good leadership and achieved victory. Companies look at their managers and judge them based on numbers – if he/she hit their numbers, they must be a good leader. Time to promote him or her again!

What I am trying to say is that there is a difference between management and leadership and the inherent lack of ability to see this will stop any company or team from growing – IF you want to reach new heights.

Check back soon for part two of Leadership vs. Management to learn how being both a great manager and great leader will help you build a sustainable business.

To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf blog.