We always hear the words ‘leader’ and ‘manager’ be it in our life and in business. A lot of times we ask ourselves, “What qualities make a good leader?” or “What qualities make a good manager?” To many, leader and manager are the same, but they are not necessarily identical.

An effective manger will have leadership qualities an d ‘manager’ is only one facet of a ‘leader.’ A leader possesses a set of unprecedented skills and talents that inspires people to follow, to be efficient, to be loyal and productive. Many managers in the industry today have these qualities, but others also do not possess them. However, it can be enhanced through some degree of mentoring and coaching.

There are several on-going professional development programs that would target to improving the essential qualities of becoming a good leader. One of the most notable is the Toastmaster club or through books and membership in a job club or other entities and resources.

One of the implications of having a manager that don’t have essential leadership qualities and talents is sometimes they work much harder than their subordinates to product the ideal output and results. They do not know how to delegate. And in extreme cases, they may even become workaholics and would always feel their subordinates are not capable of producing results. And most of all, sometimes, this would go through affecting his personal life – families, etc.

Leadership qualities are the characteristics that propel the manager upward in the company and a long term career. The produce increased business results for the company and the customers or clients that it serves. Meanwhile, the goal of a manager is to maximize work output for the company. To do so, they must be skillful in:

• Organizing
• Planning and Scheduling
• Hiring, Staffing, and Development
• Delegating Tasks
• Controlling Costs
• Acting as a Role Model to Subordinates

In essence, to sum things up, Managers often think in terms of production and Leaders think in terms of the future. Also, Managers may follow manuals and quotas while Leaders follow their own vision and innovation.