Ep 29 - Think Like a Leader Not a Manager

Episode 29 – The Local Small Business Coach Podcast

Today’s Topic:  Think Like a Leader Not a Manager 

In today’s episode: We discuss the differences between leaders and managers. Too often these roles get confused. Those with successful teams understand that the importance of being a leader and leading their teams and only managing the tasks.

Shownotes:

You don’t manage people; you manage things. You Lead People -  Admiral Grace Hooper

Welcome back to the Local Small Business Coach Podcast, I am your coach Tammy Adams.  

Today we are going to discuss something that is near and dear to my heart. Something that I feel is critical to your business’s success.  And this is a subject that I think so many people get wrong, not only in small business but in any business. I have watched many leaders through the years not under the difference between being a manager and being a leader.

There is a quote that sums up what you need to remember:

You don’t manage people; you manage things. You Lead People -  Admiral Grace Hooper

As I mentioned, I’ve seen many people that assume they are the same thing. That a manager is a leader and a leader is a manager. The reality is, they are completely hats that a business person will wear.  As a local small business owner, these are two roles you will want to make sure that you fully understand.  Let’s take a closure look shall we?

When to Wear the Manager Hat

The manager hat comes easy for everyone. After all, most of what we do, will fall under this umbrella.  When we are working on our marketing we are wearing our manager hat. When we are doing the actual tasks of the business we are wearing our manager hat. When we are working on our numbers or ordering inventory, we are wearing our manager hat.  When we are doing our bookkeeping or invoicing, we are wearing our manager hat. You get the idea. Whenever you are working on any task within your business, you are wearing your manager hat.  

When to Wear the Leadership Hat

Now, let’s look at the leadership hat, typically it will involve your interaction with your people.  However, the leadership hat is more than this, which we will discuss in a few minutes.  When we think of leaders, we think of people that inspire, people that provide direction and people that fire us up and motivate us.

You are wearing your leadership hat when you are speaking to your employees. Think about it, you are trying to inspire them to give great customer service, to have the best store or maybe the best company. You are providing them the expectations and more importantly the “why”.

Another aspect of leadership has to do with your role in the community and with your peers.  You are wearing your leadership hat when you setting the example with other business owners and with how your community will view you and your company.  Your company’s brand and reputation is all about the leadership you provide it. So it is important to recognize that even one person local small businesses have a need to understand when they are wearing their manager hat vs their leadership hat just as much as a brick and mortar or any other team business.

Why Do These Terms Get Confused?

What causes folks to confuse the manager hat and the leadership hat, is how we use the word manager. Think about it, we have store managers, assistant managers, department managers & office managers.  We use the word manager over and over when we discuss who leads our teams.

When your employees go home at night, they talk about their “manager” not their leader. But the ironic thing is, they are actually discussing what type of “leadership” they had that day from their manager.

An example might be: “Today my manager yelled at me to clean the lobby”.  Yes, the manager was discussing a “task” if it were, but the what the employee was upset about was how this person provided “leadership”.  If they were asked to clean the lobby and explained why it was needed, the odds are it would not have been dinner conversation that day.

**  For the full show notes click the link below!

HELPFUL LINKS

Podcast Website: LocalSmallBusinessCoach.com

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Episode Show Notes:  Episode 29 - Local Small Business Coach Podcast

Our Training Materials for Local Small Business Owners:  TrainingforLocalSmallBusinessOwners.com

Starting a Local Small Business Website:  StartALocalSmallBusiness.com