I once watched a programme about the making of the movie Prometheus.
They played a clip of Charlize Theron’s character introducing herself to the crew of her spaceship and here’s what she says…
‘It’s my job, to make sure that you, do your job’.
That is the statement of a manager, not a leader.
Charlize then went on to say how to get into character, she started to boss people around on the set.
Again these are the actions of a manager, and a bad one at that, rather than a leader.
Many people feel that when you’re in charge it’s your job to just do exactly that, and they then believe that this makes them leaders.
Being in charge is a position, whereas in my opinion, leadership is more of the style you adopt, and this can be performed whether you’re in charge or not.
This authoritarian style is, in my experience, one of the least effective, and possibly only works when you have a young and inexperienced team, that need strong direction.
If you’re dealing with an older or experienced team, who know what is needed to do their jobs, then it’s pretty much ineffective and more likely to demotivate. In this situation, a more collaborative style of leadership is much more effective.
People prefer to feel that they work with their leader rather than for them. If they feel they are working for you, then you will be perceived as a manager, and not as a leader.
If you want to boss people around, then you’re looking to be a manager and will probably have little success as a leader.
A leader needs to inspire, create belief, and help take the team to the next level.
I’ve included the video on Good Leader Bad Leader, which I think provides some good explanation.
If you want to be a leader then you need to lead, not just manage.
If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leader click the link to view our course.
GET THE COMPLIMENTARY E-BOOK
