There’s a difference between being a leader and just being a manager. Leaders show vision. They inspire their team and motivate them toward a common goal. This article will discuss some of the best ways to be a true leader, and to bring those skills and focus areas into your managerial work. Your business and your team will be better off for it to be sure.

How Can a Manager Become a Better Leader?

Strong Leaders Inspire Their Peers

Leaders are professionals who not only lead but inspire their peers. Honesty and integrity are crucial to building loyalty and motivation of a team. Having a clear vision and inspiration of big-picture goals while executing on that mission are hallmarks of a true leader. The ability to challenge and inspire a team to think outside the box and work toward a common goal is a good sign that your candidate is made of strong leadership material. Innovative thinking and collaborative communication are two other qualities that leaders exhibit far more than their manager peers.

A great way to improve your leadership skills is to focus more on the long-term outcomes of everyday projects. Process improvements and the long-term impact of those processes must be the priority of the leadership team. When you can take more of a birds-eye view approach to the work and think about the big picture, that’s when you’ll be able to inspire others and lead them to stronger business successes.

Managers are Focused on Day to Day Efforts Rather than Big Picture Strategies

Commonly shared traits by managers include being able to direct a team to follow strategic direction by breaking it down into smaller tasks. Directing day-to-day work efforts and anticipating needs, following through on commitments, and problem-solving are all great qualities in any profession, but they are not necessarily signs of true leadership. Big picture strategies like mission and vision are what is needed to give teams and their managers something to focus on and aim for.

Understanding How Leadership and Management Work Together

A successful business model is supported by both strong leadership and strong management, as these two professional types are necessary for a balanced approach to business. Leadership and management must work hand in hand towards a common goal. Where a leader innovates a manager is asked to administer, and as a leader develops new ideas and processes, a manager maintains processes and efficiency. As many workers are recognized more and more on an individual level, leadership skills are in demand to rally and inspire creative thinkers to working toward a shared idea. Not everyone is a natural leader. Understanding the difference between the two roles is critical to making sure that your employees have the vision and goals they need to push the work beyond what they currently are achieving. Growth requires adaptability and the ability to identify long term goals that help a company reach for more than the status quo.

How Are You Improving to Be a Better Leader?

For more advice on how to bring out the best leadership skills across your teams, connect with the recruiting experts at CPS today.