Lead or Manage?

There are those two mindsets that are worth talking about. They are leading and managing.

Leading is when you inspire people through your actions. It is when people follow you because of something deep and meaningful that you do consistently.

On the other hand, managing is a completely different story. It means you manage people by telling them what to do and how to do. It is when you focus on the detailed processes and procedures and guiding people through step by step.

When we think: Which one is better? Leading or managing? Well, that depends on the context and the kind of people you are dealing with. But it is worth realizing the differences between the two and the benefits they can bring you.

Leading is an inspirational and empowering act. It focuses on guiding people indirectly and purposefully. It is also a consistent effort that creates a strong beleif in yourself and others.

Coming to managing, it is an operational and processing act. It focuses on getting the job done on time regardless of how it was done. It is also a robotic type of action that aims to process the job according to standardized processes and templates.

When talking about the benefits of each one, leading allows individuals to believe in themselves, learn while doing and have a strong and meaningful sense of the kind of task they do.

With managing, it centralizes the power of authority and command on one person which is the manager. It makes the job processed in a standardized and unified manner.

In this post I am not convincing you which one is better. But rather I encourage you to be aware of those two mindsets. When, where and with whom they appear. Notice yourself and others’ mindsets. In the conversation, it clearly shows the type of mindset being used.