Managers & Leaders
Managers help. Leaders inspire.
Managers untangle you out of situations, but they tend to be reactive. Leaders are more proactive and inspire you to do better.
Managers often have orthogonal skills that help them create an environment for craftspeople to thrive in. Leaders need to have functional skills that help them become the benchmark for craftspeople to follow.
Managers optimise for efficiency. Leaders optimise for excellence.
Managers accompany you for small segments of your career. Leaders tend to remain inspirationally relevant over a long period of time.
Many average performers seek managers who can protect them, while most top performers seek leaders who can challenge them.
PS 1: You’d always find outliers and different versions of the terms across a variety of company setups. This version is the one I’ve observed over time.
PS 2: You can be a leader without formally holding the position of leadership. Being a leader has got more to do with the behavior and impact, than the position.