Are You a Leader or a Manager?

Manager

• A good day is one when you can get all your paperwork done.
• A manager looks forward to meetings with the boss and peers.
• A manager checks e-mail frequently throughout the day.
• A manager will visit customers when required by the higher-ups.
• A manager spends time with the front line people who support and talk to customers only when absolutely necessary.
• A manager gets a personnel forms in complete and on time.
• A manager volunteers for personnel, quality and event-related task forces.
• A manager eats lunch in the office to catch up on e-mail and paperwork.
• A manager never misses a conference call.
• A manager gets objectives and accomplishments into the boss before they are due.
• A manager looks forward to company outings and retreats as an opportunity to get face time with the boss.
• A manager delegates customer calls to others.
• A manager spends more than 50% of the time in the office.
• A manager notes what peers and subordinates do as it relates to company policy.
• A manager is up to date on company news and the latest organization chart.
• A manager always sits toward the front for company broadcasts and major announcements.
• A manager keeps performance objectives on hand.
• A manager networks within the company or corporation.
• A manager encourages subordinates to take internal company courses and programs.
• A manager relishes keeping on top of who got promoted, transferred and fired – and why.
• A manager loves to keep on top of the latest office politics.
• A manager will kill to play golf with the boss or the boss’s boss.
• A manager wears all forms of company pins, hats and other paraphernalia and decorates the office with the same.
• A manager reads the latest business book provided by human resources or the boss.
• A manager seeks out those who think like him or her and have a similar background or education when hiring new people.

Leader

• A good day is one when you spend time with customers and your front line employees.
• A leader looks forward to meetings with customers, competitors and front line workers.
• A leader checks e-mails at the beginning and the end of the day at the most.
• A leader lives to visit customers and learn from them.
• A leader spends time with staff people only when absolutely necessary.
• A leader spends time developing subordinates and mentoring people rather than obsessing over paperwork required by human resources or personnel.
• A leader creates and leads task forces to get things done in a timely fashion that are focused on action and measurable results.
• A leader eats meals with customers, competitors, industry leaders and front line workers.
• A leader schedules conference calls only when absolutely necessary and keeps them short and to the point.
• A leader makes sure the boss knows what he or she has accomplished through the significance and impact of those accomplishments.
• A leader creates outings and retreats as opportunities to learn from customers, competitors and front line workers.
• A leader will drop everything to deal with a customer personally.
• A leader spends more than 75% of their time with customers, industry leaders and front line workers.
• A leader could care less about company policy but lives by a higher code of personal ethics and standards.
• A leader could care less about office politics and organization charts but knows who to go to when things need to get done for customers or front line workers.
• A leader sees company broadcasts and major announcements as a waste of time unless he or she is the one presenting about how to move the company forward.
• A leader always knows their mission and objectives but does not need to have them in writing.
• A leader networks with other leaders, visionaries and innovators outside of the company and even outside the industry.
• A leader encourages subordinates to constantly learn and to look for new challenges.
• A leader fires those who do not perform and promotes those who deliver real results.
• A leader disdains office politics but may be active in real politics.
• A leader will kill to play golf with a customer, competitor or front line worker.
• A leader wears what is appropriate to the occasion whether it is the first day on the job or the day he or she leaves for the next challenge.
• A leader does not need an office but rather a mission and objectives and can work anywhere at any time.
• A leader writes books and articles about the next big thing in their field or any other topic related to innovation or change.
• A leader seeks out those who are smarter, with different backgrounds and with differing views than himself or herself.
  

Are you a manager or are you a leader?

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. His web site is http://franksconsultinggroup.com. His monthly e-zine is http://careerandleadership.com. George can be contacted at gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com