Is there a difference between managing and leading?

 

“Managers and leaders are often referred to synonymously, but only leaders allow their employees to solve problems with their own insight. The truth of the matter is this: Every leader may not be a manager, but every manager should be a leader.”

IIya Pozin

The above quote is from the article “The Difference Between Managers and Leaders” by IIya Pozin. The title caught my eye. As a manager myself, I once thought that being a manager made me a leader. I’ve learned through experience that

I like how IIya Pozin states the differences between leader and manager,

1. Managers give answers, leaders ask questions.
2. Managers criticize mistakes, leaders call attention to mistakes indirectly.
3. Managers forget to praise, leaders reward even the smallest improvement.
4. Managers focus on the bad, leaders emphasize the good.
5. Managers want credit, leaders credit their teams.

As an analytics manager in the healthcare industry, the above statements make perfect sense. Analytics is discovery and communication of meaningful patterns in data (according to Wikipedia). I’ve found that analytics is more than reports and dashboards. You must use laser focus to discover the problem to analyze, build a coalition of colleagues to seek a resolution, and convey that resolution in a simple, compelling fashion.

Great analysts, managers or not, must aspire to be leaders in their organization.

I just read “It’s Not about You”

 

“And the moment you begin thinking that it’s all about you, that you’re the deal, is the moment you begin losing your capacity to positively influence others’ lives. In a word, to lead. “

Bob Burg and John David Mann

I picked up the book, It’s not about You, at my local library. It’s a business leadership book the size of an iPad mini with only 127 pages. The authors, Bob Burg and John David Mann, present their case in the form of a parable. I was hesitant at first but was pleasantly surprised with this book.

The book’s description written on Amazon,

In this inspirational parable, we meet Ben, a young manager charged with persuading five hundred employees of a struggling chair manufacturer to agree to a merger as a way out of their financial woes. Facing what seems like an impossible uphill climb, Ben seeks the advice of Claire, an old friend, who introduces him to an eccentric elderly lady known simply as Aunt Elle.

Over the course of the week leading up to the crucial vote, Aunt Elle teaches Ben about the power of influence and positive persuasion. Ben also meets with each of the manufacturer's four top executives in an effort to sway them to his side, and instead comes away from each meeting with a different leadership lesson. But it's not until Ben reflects on his own experiences that he learns the critical principle so many people in positions of power fail to grasp: it's not about me, it's about you.

Ben learns the following 5 keys to leadership:

• Key #1 Hold the vision
• Key #2 Build your people
• Key #3 Do the work
• Key #4 Stand for something
• Key #5 Share the mantle

Key #5 struck an accord with me. I took “Share the mantle” to mean, let others lead. Being the leader isn’t about being the center of attention. The book states that “the best way to increase your influence is to give it away”. This is a powerful concept when confronted with leading an organizational change. Employing new Business Intelligence tools takes leadership to overcome the pushback from letting go of the existing the technology.