Leadership or management

For most people, leadership and management are seen as one and the same thing, and with many people in power exhibiting elements of both traits, it can be easy to confuse the two. However, being a leader and being a manager are two very different things, and although great leaders can manage and great managers can lead, you’ll usually find you lean much more towards one side or the other.

As a project manager, you probably need a bit of both to do your job effectively. However, it can help to recognise which traits you are most comfortable with, so that you can make a conscious effort to do some of the other, to make you a more effective project manager. It can also help to recognise which of your team are leaders and which are managers, as this may influence the roles you give them.

Leader versus manager – what is the difference?

It has been said that managers do things right and leaders do the right things, and this boils down to the way our thought processes work. Leaders will focus on what is the right thing to do in the given situation, regardless of how unfeasible it will be, whereas managers will focus on what is possible and how it will actually happen. For example:

• A leader will INNOVATE – A manager will ADMINISTER
• A leader will DEVELOP – A manager will MAINTAIN
• A leader focuses on PEOPLE and EMOTIONS – A manager focuses on STRUCTURE and SYSTEMS
• A leader INSPIRES – A manager CONTROLS
• A leader CHALLENGES the way things are – A manager ACCEPTS the way things are
• A leader LEADS people – A manager MANAGES tasks

Reading through that list, it can make the manager persona sound a little staid; maybe even boring. But in the world of project management, a good manager is of far more use to you than a great leader. Whilst you do need visionaries who can inspire and motivate on the team (and you’ll need a bit of this yourself) what you need people to do most of all is accept the systems you have put in place, and work to the guidance you give them.

Are you a manager or a leader?

Knowing where your natural talents lie can help you to mitigate those aspects of project management thatare not your strong points. There are numerous tests and quizzes available online to tell you if you are a manager or a leader, but really it comes down to this:

Are you more of a people person, or a process person?

Of course this is not the only question to ask, and will not necessarily define you as a person, but in general people who are leaders tend to be less concerned with the paperwork and more with the people and vice versa.

Being a great leader can sound exciting and inspirational. However, as a project manager you are going to require a bit of both characters if you are to be successful in a career in project management. A good manager is nothing if they don’t have a bit of creative vision too, and a great leader would never get anything done without great management skills too. A great project manager will need a bit of everything to really get the most from their role. Take a look at these tips on how to become a better project manager.