Are You A Manager Or A Leader?

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself if you manage or if you lead? Managers are work oriented, seek comfort,. and have subordinates. Leaders are people oriented, seek risk, and have followers.

General types and categories of Managers & Leaders:

Democratic Leaders:

Those who make the final decisions, but they include team
members in the decision-making process. They encourage
creativity, and people are often highly engaged in projects
and decisions. As a result, team members tend to
have high job satisfaction and high productivity.
This is not always an effective style to use,
though, when you need to make a quick decision.

Autocratic Leaders:

Those who make decisions without consulting their
team members, even if their input would be useful.
This can be appropriate when you need to make
decisions quickly, when there’s no need for team
input, and when team agreement isn’t necessary
for a successful outcome. However, this style can be
demoralizing, and it can lead to high levels of
absenteeism and staff turnover.

Transactional Leaders:

Managers using the transactional leadership style
receive certain tasks to perform and provide rewards
or punishments to team members based on
performance results. Managers and team members
set predetermined goals together, and employees agree
to follow the direction and leadership of the manager to
accomplish those goals. The manager possesses power to
review results and train or correct employees when team
members fail to meet goals. Employees receive rewards,
such as bonuses, when they accomplish goals.

Laissez-faire Leaders:

Leaders who give their team members a lot of freedom in
how they do their work, and how they set their deadlines.
They provide support with resources and advice if
needed, but otherwise they don’t get involved. This
autonomy can lead to high job satisfaction, but it
can be damaging if team members don’t manage
their time well, or if they don’t have the
knowledge, skills, or self motivation to do
their work effectively. (Laissez-faire leadership
can also occur when managers don’t have
control over their work and their people).

Participative Leaders:

Often called the democratic leadership style,
participative leadership values the input of team
members and peers, but the responsibility of
making the final decision rests with the
participative leader. Participative leadership
boosts employee morale because employees
make contributions to the decision-making
process. It causes them to feel as if their opinions
matter. When a company needs to make changes
within the organization, the participative leadership
style helps employees accept changes easily because
they play a role in the process. This style meets
challenges when companies need to make a decision
in a short period.

Transformative Leaders:

The transformational leadership style depends on high
levels of communication from management to meet goals.
Leaders motivate employees and enhance productivity and
efficiency through communication and high visibility. This style
of leadership requires the involvement of management to meet goals.
Leaders focus on the big picture within an organization and delegate
smaller tasks to the team to accomplish goals.

 

Click here to take the Leadership Style Quiz by Your Leadership Legacy

Manage:

• : to have control of (something, such as a business, department, sports team, etc.)
• : to take care of and make decisions about (someone’s time, money, etc.)
• : to direct the professional career of (someone, such as an entertainer or athlete)

Control:

• : to direct the behavior of (a person or animal) : to cause (a person or animal) to do what you want
• : to have power over (something)
• : to direct the actions or function of (something) : to cause (something) to act or function in a certain way

Direct:

• : to cause (someone or something) to turn, move, or point in a particular way
• : to cause (someone’s attention, thoughts, emotions, etc.) to relate to a particular person, thing, goal, etc.

Lead:

• :  to guide on a way especially by going in advance
•  :  to direct on a course or in a direction

Guide:

• : a person who leads or directs other people on a journey
• : a person who helps to direct another person’s behavior, life, career, etc.