Are You A Manager or a Leader?

I recently audited a Management course on a website called Coursera. I do this on occasion, to keep up to date on what's happening with business and office administration, accounting and bookkeeping. Sometimes I audit a course, just because it interests me.

The course got me thinking about what kind of style I use:

A manager is an individual who plans, administers, directs, and controls the use and coordination of resources to achieve a goal. If you are a business owner, you are most certainly required to be a manager. Even if you are the only one working, you need to manage yourself and the resources you have to work with.

A leader is an individual with vision and interpersonal skills who guides, influences, or heads the direction of a group or team in a non-coercive manner. If you are a spouse or parent, then you are indeed a leader as well. In business, more and more, there appears to be a shift occurring in management style that blends both management and leadership skills.

Thinking back over the years I've worked in this industry, I can see that the best manager I ever had the pleasure to work for, was a blend of both manager and leader. That is what I aspire to be. In my opinion, it produces the best results in a business. What do you think?

#balance #businessplanning #businessgrowth #lifeworkbalance #newbusinessowner