On Monday, I shared some thoughts that have the ability to transform your business. I don’t say that lightly. I just want you to know when great information is at your fingertips. We talked about the leader/manager – how it’s important for you as an entrepreneur and business owner to be both the leader and the manager of your company.

To find out more about how to be a good leader, click here.

Today we’re going to focus on how to be a strong manager. Before we dive in, let’s quickly review what exactly the difference is between a leader and a manager.

Leader:

A leader concentrates more on people than work. The leader moves people out of the limits of the traditional. He enables people to move into new areas of activity and achievement. He does this not by direct control, but through the relationship he has with his people. A leader is transformational.

Manager:

A manager concentrates more on work than on people. A manager also operates within established patterns and practices. He gets the job done by directing and guiding the work of others within the limits of those practices. A manager is transactional.

So, with that in mind, how do you become a strong manager? I’m glad you asked.

How to be a Strong Manager

It’s helpful to understand why management is so important. If you provide leadership without any management, the morale of the group will be high for a while, but without direction, people will begin to lose sight of the objective. They will fail to move ahead together toward the organization’s goals. They might be working very hard, but nothing really happens.

We all know people who have real leadership qualities, but possess little management ability. People love them but only for a while. They generate dozens of new ideas, but they lack the discipline to bring them to completion. Before one idea is executed they are off to the next one. Because there’s no one to execute the ideas, nothing of significance happens.

Management is important because the manager makes things happen in the business.

Just as you can work to improve your leadership skills, you can also improve as a manager. The word management first applied to the training of wild horses by hand. The Romans believed that there were many jobs man can do better by utilizing the energy of the horses. For example, if the job called for moving a lot of material, a manager could use horses to move large loads faster. Likewise, if the job required a man to move himself from one place to another, he could move faster and farther by using horsepower.

This meant that man had to size up the job, select the right horse for that job, and train it to perform properly. All of this was management.

You can improve as a manager – if you will follow the same steps in utilizing manpower that the Romans used in utilizing horsepower.

1. Size up the job.

Take detailed time to size up the time and energy involved in your job. The leader in you will have grand ideas and excitement, but it’s the manager in you that will bring about those dreams. As you size up the job, consider all aspects of the project.

How long will it take to complete? How many employees will I need to finish? How will we market the finished product? What is our timeline for completion? This list of questions could go on and on, as well as change with individual projects.

The job of the manager is to not allow yourself to skip this step. It may seem tedious, but by sizing up the job, you’ll guarantee success rather than remaining in some dreamland.

2. Select the right resources for the job. 

Resources may mean a team of people to get the project off the ground. You might need an assistant, a writer, a marketer, a technical guru, a financial advisor, and more. You will also need office space and supplies.

Think about if your dream is to host an event. You’ll need a planning time, a team of people to help during the event, marketing help, venue support, food, ticket sales, etc. The list goes on and on.

It’s helpful to select all of the right resources for the job upfront, so that you don’t miss anything and possibility forget some essential details.

3. Train your employees properly.

Finally, the manager is in charge of training the team. The leader side of you is not the right guy for the job, because the leader is all dreams and visions. That is good, but when you’re training a new employee, you need the manager side of you. You need systems and step-by-step instructions.

Both leadership and management are essential in the work of any dynamic organization. If the manager is the head of the organization, the leader is the heart. Nowhere is the balance between leader and manager more important than in the head of the organization.

Take time to work on your skills as both a leader AND a manager. There is always improvement to be made.

Stay tuned this month for more information about the leader/manager, organizational mastery within businesses, and business systems!

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