Are You a Leader, Manager, or Both???

What does it take to be a good leader? What does it take to be a good manager? If you are a good leader, doesn’t that mean you are a good manager? And if you are a good manager, doesn’t that make you a good leader? Not necessarily!

What Is a “Manager?”

One way of defining this would be to say that you try and make the unpredictable, predictable. You hire some employees to take over the admin, production, and sales responsibilities. You document the processes, plan, and budget for the fiscal year, hire/train employees, create goals and production metrics for your employees, schedule the workweek, compare the variances between actual and budgeted, etc.

What Is “Leader?”

Leadership is many things. Leadership is about getting people on the same page, and rowing in the same direction. Leaders answer the questions, “Where are we going,” and “Why am I going there?” You know your vision…and you decide where your company needs to go. You work to create interest in that vision. You work to “inspire,” followers. Leadership is also about networking, understanding the market, and making good decisions. When you attend Summit conferences, you are improving your leadership skills. You are learning how to build a management team that will improve the quality of your life, as well as the value of your business.

What’s difficult about growing a small business is that, oftentimes, the owner has to be both Manager and Leader. Should I attend the conference and trust that my staff will manage the business in my absence? Should we implement these new processes, even though doing so will create more near-term issues in terms of staffing, scheduling, training, etc.?

As your business grows, what skill sets will you need to change or improve? If you are not doing the work, then you are managing, leading, or both. Are you achieving your full potential? Is your team achieving their full potential?