Not Every Manager is a Leader; Not Every Leader is a Manager

A genuine leader is rare, precious to work with, and desperately in demand. 

She stormed into the office and interrupted the team meeting. Instantly, she declared that things will change. Similarly, she talked loudly while rapping her bracelets on the table for emphasis. For thirty minutes everyone was frozen in time as the abuse continued.

Then she left abruptly. Her parting words to the manager were, "I will tend to you later."

This became her standard approach when visiting other teams. The regional vice president had the title she was not a leader. Her negative behavior resulted in people quitting. Others were left with high levels of fear, and resentment. Could the various teams improve? Yes. Did they care much now? No.

This VP was eventually fired. Her boss took over, and it got worse.

Have you ever been in a similar situation at work?

An Example of a Genuine Leader

Rita came aboard no fanfare. Yet, her smile immediately caught everyone's attention. She became the office coordinator for a busy corporate office of seven companies. Her role was to coordinate calendars, and organize needed resources. Often people in these companies butt heads for office support and materials. It led to ill feelings and intense competition.

Within a few days she took initiative to visit one on one with each manager. She also talked to key employees about their needs and problems.

She ask questions and listened. Her positive energy became contagious. In addition, she quickly implemented a few basic procedural changes. Consequently, the changes help transform chaos into calmness.

Most noteworthy, Rita was friendly and caring with everyone. However, she had a backbone of steel when making decisions. She also got things done that had to be done. When emergencies happened, she created results without leaving causalities.

Within a few months the office was humming a different tune. Numerous times people said, "how did you fix that?" As a result, she earned a promotion to manager within a year. Eventually, she became a company vice president.

A genuine leader is like Rita, regardless of the position. Have you ever been in a similar situation at work?

Not every manager is a leader, not every leader is a manager.

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If you like this post, here are a few others to check out that can help you keep learning. Thanks!

• The Lost Art of Servant Leadership
• The Plague of Employee Dissatisfaction and Disengagement
• ?The First & Only Rule of Leadership
• The #1 Glaring Weakness of a Bad Leader
• 10 Keys To Employee Engagement
• 7 Keys to Unleash Employee Motivation, Productivity and Engagement
• 13 Troubles of Terrible Teams
• Leadership is About People, Not Your Paycheck
• 6 Proven Ways to Deal with a Bad Boss
• How to Get Feedback When You Are the Leader