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The Cambridge Dictionary described a manager as a person responsible for controlling or organizing someone or something especially a business. Whereas a leader is described as a person who is in control of a group, company or situation. As you can see, there is a very thin line of difference between the word manager and leader.

A leader is a person who charters the master plan. He is the person who steers the long term direction of the organization or country or group. He is not the person to dictate what is to happen tomorrow, rather he is the person to plan where the company should head towards in the next 10 years. During the course, the leader must be quick enough to see pitfalls and modify the directions set from time to time. There are times when a leader cannot dictate what new external forces may be in place to prevent his vision from happening. In cases like this, the leader must be bold enough to make any drastic change where required.

On the other hand, a manager is the person who will carry out the plans on a daily basis. He is the person who is responsible to ensure that the actions taken today will meet up with the long term plans set by the leader. A manager has to work with his team and encourage his team to work with him so that the plans set are met. He is the one who takes care of the details. However, his role is not to be overlooked. A poor manager can cause a leader's plans to fail. Qualities of a good manager are equally difficult to find. But we must always remember that a good manager should never aim to be Mr Nice Guy. A manager is not there to please everyone but rather to ensure that jobs are carried out properly and in line with company visions. A hands-on manager is good but a manager who spends all the time hands-on will also lose the focus and not be able to manage properly.

In smaller organizations, leaders double up as managers as well. While this may not be an ideal situation, it is still widely practiced as smaller organizations do not usually have the same amount of resources as larger organizations.

Learn more about this author, Judy Khoo.
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