The Difference Between Managers & Leaders

Real leaders are a rarity in our time. We have plenty of managers, but that’s not the same thing as a leader.

The difference between the two is a distinction worth understanding.

Leaders differ from managers in that they inspire those around them to do great things. Managers typically require — usually under threat of penalty — that others do their bidding, or else.

Scholar Hugh Nibley once pointed out that a fatal shift from leadership to management has traditionally marked the decline and fall of civilizations.

Managers tend to thrive on mediocrity since they are more concerned with the privilege and control to help them maintain their status.

Leaders, on the other hand, offer an escape from mediocrity because they seek to inspire others to a higher purpose.

According to Nibley, this means that true leaders must be “devoid of personal ambition, idealistic, and incorruptible.”

Perhaps this is why so few people actively participate in leadership opportunities. The responsibility is more than most people are willing to bear.

But the reality of life is that each of us, at some point, will be called upon to step up and lead.

And the biggest question we must face is whether we will be ready when that moment arrives.

Leadership means setting aside our fears and being willing to say what needs to be said and to do what needs to be done without consideration for what we stand to gain.

Hyde In Plain Sight is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.