As CEO’s we all have heard that leaders are better than managers or at least have wondered be a manager or be a leader!
This issue has been a debate for a long time among management professionals and there has not been a winner for either managers or leaders.
Forget about all the flashy complicated words that are used such as managers have employees and leaders have followers etc.
Let’s have a look at the managers and leaders in a simplified way.
The above table is like the quick difference between managers and leaders, but keep in mind that there are 16 personality types of people in the working environment.
1-The healer: imaginative idealists, guided by their own core values and beliefs.
2-The Counselor: creative nurturers with a strong sense of personal integrity and a drive to help others realize their potential. Creative and dedicated, they have a talent for helping others with original solutions to their personal challenges.
3-The Mastermind: analytical problem-solvers, eager to improve systems and processes with their innovative ideas. They have a talent for seeing possibilities for improvement.
4-The Architect: philosophical innovators, fascinated by logical analysis, systems, and design.
5-The protector: industrious caretakers, loyal to traditions and organizations.
6-The composer: gentle caretakers who live in the present moment and enjoy their surroundings with cheerful, low-key enthusiasm.
7-The inspector: responsible organizers, driven to create and enforce order within systems and institutions.
8-The craftsman: observant artisans with an understanding of mechanics and an interest in troubleshooting. They approach their environments with a flexible logic, looking for practical solutions to the problems at hand.
9-The teacher: idealist organizers, driven to implement their vision of what is best for humanity.
10-The Champion: people-centered creators with a focus on possibilities and a contagious enthusiasm for new ideas, people and activities. Energetic, warm, and passionate.
11-The commander: strategic leaders, motivated to organize change. They are quick to see inefficiency and conceptualize new solutions, and enjoy developing long-range plans to accomplish their vision.
12-The visionary: inspired innovators, motivated to find new solutions to intellectually challenging problems.
13-The provider: conscientious helpers, sensitive to the needs of others and energetically dedicated to their responsibilities. They are highly attuned to their emotional environment and attentive to both the feelings of others and the perception others have of them.
14-The performer: vivacious entertainers who charm and engage those around them. They are spontaneous, energetic, and fun-loving, and take pleasure in the things around them
15-The supervisor: hardworking traditionalists, eager to take charge in organizing projects and people.
16-The dynamo: energetic thrill seekers who are at their best when putting out fires, whether literal or metaphorical.
I am sure that you will now argue and claim that the personality types are far less or even more that the mentioned above, but this is a generic list. I wanted to show you the complexity of people you have in your working environment – there is no magic spell or a 5 stage process to deal with the staff.
So back to the main issue should I be a manager or leader?! Actually the only person whom can answer that question is you. You know your employees, your company structure and needs and you know what makes each one achieve.
The best practice is to be a blended person both manager and leader at the same type in-order to achieve the maximum results. Because if you deal only in a leader way it will not be result driven with all the employees, the same applies for a manager. Balance your “Mang-Lead” way.
