There’s a Leader in You!
What is the difference between a manager and a leader? Changingminds.org says that the biggest difference is “the way they motivate the people who work or follow them.” Let’s take a look at how dictionary.com defines them:
Man∙ag∙er [man-i-jer]
–noun
1. a person who has control or direction of an institution, business, etc., or of a part, division, or phase of it.
2. a person who manages: the manager of our track team.
3. a person who controls and manipulates resources and expenditures, as of a household.
Lead∙er [lee-der]
–noun
1. a person or thing that leads.
2. a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.
So while a manager may be in charge of a business or department, a leader is someone who directs and leads a group. Managers can be leaders but you don’t have to be a manager to be a leader. The article in Changingminds.org goes on to say that “when [leaders] want to lead, they have to give up authoritarian control, because to lead is to have followers, and following is always a voluntary activity.” Are you a leader? I’ve put together a list of some leadership quotes that I think illustrate ways to be a good leader.
Let’s do this Letterman-style. Here are the Top Ten leadership quotes:
10. “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” – Kenneth Blanchard
9. “The best leader is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and the self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt
8. “Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” – Colin Powell
7. “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” – Sam Walton
6. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell
5. “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” – Mohandas Gandhi
4. “A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting.” – Russell H. Ewing
3. “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” – George S. Patton
2. “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
1. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
And there you have it, folks. I hope something stood out to you and inspired you to become (or continue to be) a great leader.
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