The terms “leadership” and “management” are often used to describe the same thing. “The project manager is the leader of the team.” This may be true, but just because Joe is the project manager does not necessarily make him a leader. Not to mention, what makes a leader and a coach different? Is a coach a manager? Let’s explore the unique qualities of each of these labels.
How would you describe a manager?
Management is the act of coordinating the efforts of people toward a common goal. Some of the tasks associated with a manager include: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, resourcing, and controlling. They may deal with some of the transactional requirements of a team, such as establishing agendas, allocating resources, establishing processes, and taking corrective action.
A good manager can take care of the details well. She delegates and completes tasks. Additionally, she is able to develop incentives that encourage other team members to fulfill responsibilities.
What do you think of when you hear the term “coach”?
The definition of coaching is the desire to support individuals to achieve a specific goal through learning. You will often find a coach teaching, training, developing, and supporting others, especially in a team setting. A coach often has an innate ability to spot talent, impart his experience, and improve other individuals’ performance. Successful coaches are able to see the potential in an individual and share wisdom in order to help that person grow.
What makes someone a leader?
Leadership is the willingness to accept responsibility and organize a group of people to achieve a common goal. Leaders usually have great management skills, but they excel at collaborating, listening, and achieving. They are often willing to sacrifice for the good of the group. A leader can see a grander vision and a clear strategy, and she can inspire and empower others to see the same things.
As an influencer, who do you want to be? Do you want to complete tasks, or do you want to inspire others to achieve their own potential? A powerful leader requires all of the above, and more.
About Brendan P. Keegan
Brendan P. Keegan is Founder & Managing Partner of velocityHUB, a leading management consulting firm. He is a 5-time industry leading President & CEO of large, private-equity-backed companies and served as the Fortune 100’s youngest Chief Sales Officer for EDS, a $22-billion technology industry leader. Brendan has raised nearly $1.0 billion in capital and returned over $2.2 billion to investors through successful exit strategies. He has trained over 100,000 leaders, led nearly 50,000 employees, driven sales of over $100 billion and worked globally in over 150 countries. Brendan was named a Distinguished Fellow by Dartmouth College, a Fast50 Executive by FastCompany, a successful entrepreneur by Enterprise Bank, Best-of-the-Best CEOs by Incentive, 100 Fastest Growing Companies by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Business of the Year by NH Business Journal, Top 10 Coach of the Year by USA Football, and Volunteer of the Year by & Youth Coach of the Year locally for his commitment to community service. Brendan is a sought-after speaker by companies across the globe on leadership, sales and performance. He has authored over 200 articles and been published in global publications including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Week, Fast Company and InformationWeek.
Brendan serves on corporate boards to include Revolution Armor, Merchants Auto Group, ExpressIt Delivery, Olaeris, velocityHUB and nashuaHUB. Brendan and his wife Dana founded the Keegan Courage & Faith Foundation with the goal of giving back $1.0 million for youth education, athletics and at-risk youth across Southern New Hampshire.
About velocityHUB
velocityHUB delivers results-oriented training programs, high-value consulting and targeted executive coaching to many of the world’s leading companies, small and medium businesses, and non-profits. Our vision is to build one million leaders to drive performance, sales and revenue growth.
Contact: Amanda E Rogers | 603.402.1734 | amanda@velocityhub.com