Definition of Leader

A leader refers to a person who leads others in a specific situation and is capable of heading the group
towards the accomplishment of the ultimate goal by making strategies to pursue and reach the same.
A leader has a vision, who inspires people, in such a way that it becomes their vision.
Further, the leader can be any person having the potential to influence others, be it a manager of an
organization, or head of the family, or a captain of a team, minister of a state, or leader in an informal
group. He/She is the one who:
 Takes charge of and directs the activities of subordinates.
 Provide the group everything that is required to fulfill its maintenance and needs related to the
task.
 Required at all levels to act as a representative of the organization
 Encourages the whole team to work together and supports them in accomplishing their tasks, as
a guide.

Quality of leader
1. Foresightedness: To predict and make plans for the future.
2. Intelligence: To integrate and interpret relevant information.
3. Creativity: To have unique, innovative, and original thinking.
4. Enthusiasm: To remain energetic, show interest, and think positively.
5. Charisma: To attract and influence people.
6. Decisiveness: To take quick and appropriate decisions.
7. Self Confidence: To trust their competencies and have confidence in their abilities.
8. Bravery: To take the first move, to bring change in certain situations

Types of Leader

There are mainly four types of leader

 Transactional Leader: These leaders use social exchanges to influence followers, i.e. they
motivate by rewarding the subordinates for their productivity and this induces them to work
towards the achievement of the goal.
 Transformational Leader: Such leaders encourage and awaken followers to make efforts in
achieving extraordinary outcomes. He/She is someone who comes forward to change things.
  Charismatic Leader: He/She is one such leader whose energy, enthusiasm, and charisma often
motivate people to behave in a specific manner. He derives his power from exemplary character
and heroism.
 Visionary Leader: Visionary Leader is the one who has the potential to develop and pursue the
vision, which is not just realistic but achievable too. He possesses psychological attractiveness,
due to which people get influenced towards the leader’s dreams

Manager
Managers are those individuals who are employed by the organization so as to direct and monitor the
work of other employees working in the organization. They are the ones who get their work done by the
employees and have the authority to hire or fire the employees.
He/She ensures that the tasks are completed within the stipulated time frame while complying with all the
rules and policies of the organization and using the allocated resources.
 A manager is a representative of the organization responsible for the management of the work of
a group of employees and takes requisite actions whenever required.
 Formulating the structure of the organization and delegating authority and responsibilities to the
employees.
 Performs all five functions - planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling
 ormal authority due to his/her positional role
 Reactive, Formal structure only,
 Both managerial and leadership qualities are required.
Benefits of soft skills as a manager
Here are some examples of the types of benefits managers can experience from having and demonstrating
soft skills in the workplace:
 Enables you to connect with your employees: Soft skills help managers connect with their
employers in a positive way. This helps managers establish good working relationships with their
employees, which can also influence employee satisfaction, feelings of value and work ethic.
 Ensures effective communication between upper management and employees: When
managers have good soft skills, it helps them communicate ideas between upper management
professionals and their department employees. This ensures that everyone works toward the same
goal set by upper management, and when necessary, employees have the opportunity to get their
questions answered about a new policy or initiative.
 Helps you enforce rules and take disciplinary action when necessary: In managerial roles,
professionals need to be able to take disciplinary action when necessary in order to uphold the
values, work activities and company culture of their employers. This means having the ability to
address performance concerns and other conflicts with employees. By doing this, they ensure
employees get the resources they need to succeed in their roles.
  Gives you confidence to carryout a leadership role: As a manager, you need to have the ability
to perform your role with confidence. This helps you build trust with your employees and make
timely decisions for your team.
 Shows your ability to take on additional leadership roles: By demonstrating soft skills in a
managerial role, professionals can potentially qualify for internal promotion opportunities with
their company. This is because they demonstrate their ability to lead and communicate with
others.
 Enhances teamwork among employees: When a manager has good soft skills, they can
influence the way their employees connect with one another and work together to achieve
department goals

The Difference Between Leader and Manager?

Leader and manager share some essential characteristics; however, many dissimilarities make them
distinct. While leadership is about building a vision for people to follow, management is looking after the
day-to-day operations of a business. So, here are some more differences between leader and manager.
LEADER MANAGER

 Leaders have missions to accomplish . Managers are goal-oriented

 Leaders challenge the status quo . Managers maintain or try to achieve the status quo
 Leaders are unique . Managers mimic their competitors
 Leaders take risk . Managers avoid taking risk
 Leaders are willing to learn and grow personally .Managers perfect existing, proven skills

 Leaders build relationships .Managers focus on goals and objectives

 Leaders coach people to become a . Managers direct people to achieve the company goal
better version of themselves
 Results of leadership are intangible . Results of management is measurable
 Leadership is qualitative . Management is quantitative
 Leaders have fans .Managers have employees
Differences Between Leader and Manager
Here we have divided the differences between leader and manager into two categories, i.e. main
differences and additional differences. Come let us discuss them:
Main Differences:
1. A leader is someone who guides and leads other people. He/She gives a proper direction and
purpose, to their efforts by shaping and moulding their behavior, to attain the desired objective.
On the other hand, a manager is someone who is responsible for the management of the
organization. He looks after the day-to-day operations, keeps updated with the changes in the
market, encourages people to work cooperatively, arranges all the resources, etc.
2. A leader shapes employee’s behavior and defines direction by developing and communicating
organizational vision, and stimulating them to achieve it. On the contrary, a manager tends to lay
down the structure of the organization and delegate authority and responsibility to the employees.
3. While a leader performs just one function of management, i.e. providing direction, a manager
performs all the functions of the management, i.e. planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and
controlling.
4. When it comes to the origination of authority, a leader possesses informal authority by virtue of
his/her personal qualities – knowledge, skills, and abilities. As against, a manager has formal
authority, due to his designation or position in the organization.
5. Talking about approach, a leader has a proactive approach, as he can predict future events and
takes preventive actions in advance, whereas a manager has a reactive approach, and so he/she
waits for the right time to take the action.
6. A leader can be found in both formal and informal setup, i.e. in a business organization, and an
informal group i.e. a family, friend circle, batch, etc. In contrast, a manager can be found in a
formal setup only i.e. in a business organization only, irrespective of its size, type, and nature.
7. To become a leader, one requires leadership qualities, whereas to become a manager one needs to
possess both leadership as well as managerial qualities.
8. Followers comply with the leader’s instructions because of their own will, whereas employees
comply with the instructions and orders of the manager, because of the role authority of the
manager.