The Key Difference Between Managers And Leaders

Being a manager is hard work. Seriously hard work. Managers have to manage the team, achieve goals, manage expectations, communicate bad news, spend time on hiring, retaining, motivating, firing. It is seriously hard work

Yet somehow, everyone wishes to become one.

There is something appealing about being a manager – being called a manager.

And with being a manager comes higher responsibility.

A bigger team to manage. A bigger area to control. More decision making powers. More influence. A bigger span of influence . And every day, I see people seeking this influence.

Asking for more and more responsibility: for bigger teams, for more control.

Rarely, do I find people asking for more accountability: Make me accountable for a bigger goal. Make me accountable for a larger purpose. Make me accountable for higher target. Make me accountable for the development of my team and my own learning

The next time you ask for a raise or a promotion, ask yourself why didn’t you instead ask for a higher target instead?

Managers seek more and more responsibility for themselves. Leaders demand more and more accountability for themselves.

[This post by Ankur Warikoo first appeared on LinkedIn and has been reproduced with permission.]

Note: We at Inc42 take our ethics very seriously. More information about it can be found here.