Author: Hayley O’Neill

What is the difference between leadership and management?

Below are the respective definitions for leadership and management. Read through these and try to think of two people; one who might be more of a “manager” , and one who is more of a “leader” – what qualities/skills do they possess to be good at this job? They can be someone you know, or someone famous.

Leadership

Leadership focuses on influence, vision and direction. Leaders inspire people to achieve a shared vision or goal. Leaders develop and coach people to inspire enthusiasm. They lead by example and influence others through personal qualities.

Management

Management focuses on processes, systems and organisation. Managers ensure tasks are completed effectively and objectives are met. Management is more task oriented and ensures work is completed within established timelines.

Key Differences between Leaders and Managers

  1. Leaders create a vision and inspire to achieve a vision. A manager focuses on the output required to achieve the vision.
  2. Leaders need creativity, positivity, empathy and focus while managers need organisation, strategic thinking, communication and interpersonal skills.
  3. Leaders look forward while managers help pave the way.
  4. Leaders shape the culture; managers ensure the structure is organised to create that culture.
  5. Leaders challenge the status quo, while managers maintain order by ensuring existing processes run smoothly.

Leaders and managers can work independently but should complement each other and be thought of as two sides of the same coin.

Communication for Leaders and Managers

Communication as a leader or manager is essential to build trust and achieve collaboration from your team. There are many things you need to consider when it comes to communication such as:

  1. Be clear and concise. If you have to deliver a message to your team you need to use simple language to make sure you are understood. Structure your communication with a clear purpose: What, Why and How.
  2. Listen and show interest. If you are speaking to a member of your team, it is important to show genuine interest to what they are saying. You can show interest by maintaining eye contact, nodding and paraphrasing what they say. Use phrases such as “What I’m hearing is…”
  3. Provide constructive feedback. If you have to give feedback to a team member, use the Feedback Sandwich method where you sandwich the feedback in between positive or encouraging remarks.
  • Start with a positive remark.
  • Highlight the area needing improvement.
  • End with encouragement or a solution.
  • Example: “I wanted to say you did a good job speaking to that parent today, I noticed some key details were missing so we need to go through that together now. I know that next time you’ll smash it.

4. Be transparent. Share updates and information openly to build trust and collaboration. For example: “We’re having some issues with students failing to attend their lessons. Here’s what we are doing to address it, and we also welcome your ideas.”
5. Delegate. Delegation is a critical management skill because it allows managers to focus on higher priority tasks. It also empowers team members to take ownership of tasks and gives them a sense of empowerment. Distributing tasks can reduce manager burnout and reduce stress to enable managers to have a better work-life balance. Sharing responsibilities ensures everyone contributes to the team’s success. It is important not to micromanage your team, as this can make them feel as though they are not trusted.

Steps for Making Important Decisions

As a manager or a team leader, it is often your responsibility to make important decisions for the business or the team. This requires a structured approach, so here are some steps to guide you.

  1. Clearly identify the decision you need to make. You need to understand why this is important for the team and business growth. The decision could be “We need to allocate a bigger budget for advertising this year.”
  2. Gather relevant information related to the decision. In the above example, this could be market trends, cost of advertising, customer feedback, target audience and where to advertise.
  3. Identify the alternatives. Example alternatives for the above example would be to delay the decision until you have more data.
  4. Weigh up the pros and cons. Analysing the risks and benefits of making business decisions helps to weigh up long term impacts. Using the above as an example, you would compare the potential gains and costs of each option of advertising.
  5. Consult other team leaders and investors. Seeking input from other team leaders, managers and investors helps to use their insights and experience to refine your options and uncover hidden risks.
  6. Make the decision. Choose the option which aligns best with the company’s goals and available resources. Be confident in the decision even if it is difficult. Develop an action plan of how you are going to implement the decision and prepare to adjust if the decision isn’t delivering the expected results.

Time Management and Prioritising Tasks

When you are a leader or manager, you will need to understand how to manage tasks effectively. There will be times where you are better doing your day-to-day tasks, and times where you have urgent tasks to prioritise. Focus on urgent and high impact tasks immediately and delegate your day-to-day tasks where you need to. Start each week with a to do list so you can schedule your urgent tasks during your free periods so you can continue to be productive during peak hours.

How to Motivate Employees and Team Members

As a manager or leader, you will need to help motivate your team members to maintain morale and productivity. There are many ways to do this:

  1. Recognise the efforts of your team. Acknowledge hard work verbally, but also publicly when appropriate. Celebrate milestones, birthdays and anniversaries to make employees feel valued.
  2. Set clear goals and expectations. Make sure your team understands the business goals and understand how their work contributes to the company’s success. Provide regular updates on their progress.
  3. Foster a positive environment. create a workplace where staff feel safe to share ideas or concerns. Promote inclusivity and respect amongst team members.
  4. Offer growth opportunities. Provide training opportunities to help them to develop new skills and offer mentorship when needed.

Further Tips for Leaders and Managers

  1. Lead by example. Demonstrate a positive attitude at work and show a strong work ethic. Show empathy and integrity in your interactions. Be passionate about your role and the company’s future mission.
  2. Resolve conflicts. Offer a space for employees to approach you with any conflicts or concerns. Address these issues and don’t allow them to fester.
  3. Be approachable. Maintain an open-door policy and encourage staff to share their thoughts and show empathy and understanding.
  4. Reflect and improve. As yourself what went well this week? What could I have done better? Seek feedback from others with feedback boxes or one on one discussions. View mistakes as opportunities to grow and not as failures. Attend training yourself to improve your skills.

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