Leading and managing: not the same!

The ideas of leading and managing are often treated as the exact same thing. When people think of their leader, they might name their manager. If you ask people what a manager does, they might tell you, “They lead teams.” It’s easy to see how people might merge the two ideas together.

In reality, leading and managing are very different. They often go hand in hand with each other. We find ourselves doing both a lot, but it’s important to know that they are not the same thing. Think about it this way – leading is about people and managing is about tasks. They are separate skillsets with separate applications.

Leading involves:

Visioning: setting the direction for your team

Aligning: building consensus and cohesion among your team

Collaborating: working with others and enabling others to work together effectively

Risk-taking: making effective decisions and calculations through risk analysis

Coaching: guiding people to success through sustained mentorship

Relationship building: creating and maintaining relationships among team members

Managing involves:

Process: guiding the execution of technical skills and responsibilities day-to-day

Organizing: creating structure around roles and maintaining/improving processes for sustained success

Quality: maximizing team performance and production

Controlling risks: changing and adapting procedure to minimize risk

Directing: telling people what to do and how to do it to ensure quality and success

Avoiding the trap

Both leading and managing are critical, and an organization can’t survive with just one or the other. More often than not, you need people who are capable and willing to do both. Naturally, the skillsets you need to be a good leader and a good manager are very different. People often fall into the trap of “managing people.” They make the assumption that because they are an effective manager, they are also an effective leader, and they apply their management skillset to their approach to people. This does not work.

Leading people the Dignify way

There are a few skills that you need to develop independently of your management skills in order to lead people effectively. Building these skills will generate returns on your investment, because effective leadership and effective management go hand in hand. People are much more likely to execute processes effectively and stay engaged in their day-to-day production when they’re being led well. Here are some skills you can build to make yourself a more effective people leader:

Emotional intelligence

A leader with strong emotional intelligence can communicate their vision effectively, inspire and influence smoothly, respond appropriately under stress, and manage their own emotions along with the emotions within their team. It’s a “soft skill” with many hard, tangible benefits.

Empathy

Demonstrate care and compassion for your team members. Put yourself in their shoes, understand their perspectives, and accommodate them wherever possible if they are going through a rough time. Show that you care about your people, and your people will show that they care about you.

Fulfilling the hierarchy of needs

Understand the employee hierarchy of needs and how to fulfill each level to yield an engaged, fulfilled, and effective person and team member.

The bottom line

To wrap it up, leading and managing are complementary but distinct skillsets, both essential for a thriving organization. While management focuses on tasks, processes, and structure, leadership centers on people, vision, and relationships. Effective leaders understand the importance of building emotional intelligence, empathy, and trust to inspire their teams. Balancing both roles enables leaders to not only direct workflow but also empower their people, creating an environment where both performance and fulfillment are high.

JOE KIEDINGER

ACTION PLAN: Take a step back and ask yourself – am I managing my people? Identify what skills you might benefit from learning to become a more effective people leader.