The Manager vs. Leader Myth: Why This Distinction is Holding You Back

Read Time: 5 minutes.

Hop onto LinkedIn these days and you’ll same tired refrain:

• "Managers do things right. Leaders do the right things."

• "Managers enforce the status quo. Leaders empower change."

• “Managers light a fire under people. Leaders light a fire in them.”

It's time to retire this outdated thinking.

The manager vs. leader distinction isn't helping anyone develop better leadership skills. It's creating a false choice that lets mediocre managers off the hook while making great leadership seem like some mystical quality only a chosen few possess.

Here's the truth:

There is no difference between managers and leaders anymore.

Great management is leadership. The expectation is that managers ARE leaders. And when people draw the distinction, they're usually rationalizing bad management.

Why This Myth Persists (And Why It's Dangerous)

The manager vs. leader framework gained popularity when work was more predictable, hierarchies were clearer, and change happened slowly.

In that world, you could have:

• Managers who executed plans created by others

• Leaders who set vision while others handled operations

• Clear separation between "thinking" and "doing" roles

That world no longer exists.

Today's reality:

• Change is constant and unpredictable

• Teams are flatter and more autonomous

• Every manager needs to inspire, adapt, and innovate

• Every leader needs to execute, measure, and deliver

The danger of the old distinction: It gives managers permission to be mediocre. "I'm just a manager, not a leader" becomes an excuse for avoiding the hard work of developing people, driving change, and thinking strategically.

The New Standard: 12 Traits Every Manager Must Master

Based on my work with hundreds of leaders, here are the 12 traits that separate high-performing managers from those who get left behind:

Takes Radical Ownership vs. Waits for Instruction

The Old Way: "That's not my job" or "I’m waiting on approval"

The New Standard: Own outcomes, not just activities. When something goes wrong in your sphere of influence, your first question is "What could I have done differently?"

How to Apply It:

• Stop asking "What should I do?" Start proposing "Here's what I recommend and why."

• Own problems that touch your team, even if they originated elsewhere.

• Create solutions before escalating issues.

Embodies High Standards vs. Accepts Mediocre Work

The Old Way: The harmony of "good enough" becomes the new standard.

The New Standard: Your standards become your team's ceiling. Mediocrity is contagious, but so is excellence.

How to Apply It:

• Define "excellent" before work begins, not after it's submitted.

• Give feedback that elevates performance, not just corrects mistakes.

• Celebrate work that exceeds standards as loudly as you address work that falls short.

Builds Trust Intentionally vs. Relies on Authority

The Old Way: "Because I said so" or "I'm the boss."

The New Standard: Authority gets compliance. Trust gets commitment. Build trust through consistency, competence, and care.

How to Apply It:

• Keep commitments to your team as religiously as you keep them to your boss.

• Show genuine interest in your team members as people, not just producers.

• Admit when you don't know something instead of pretending you do.

Connects Authentically vs. Maintains Distance

The Old Way: Keep a professional distance to maintain authority.

The New Standard: Authentic connection multiplies influence. People follow leaders they know, like, and trust.

How to Apply It: 

• Share your own challenges and learning moments.

• Remember personal details and follow up on them.

• Be present in conversations instead of multitasking.

Mutual Accountability vs. Enforces Rules

The Old Way: "Here are the rules. I don’t know why they exist, but I know the consequences for not following them."

The New Standard: Create shared ownership of outcomes. When everyone owns the result, everyone drives toward it.

How to Apply It: 

• Involve your team in creating the standards they'll be held to.

• Focus accountability conversations on outcomes, not compliance.

• Ask "What support do you need to succeed?" not "Why didn't you follow the process?"

Recruits Relentlessly vs. Fills Open Roles

The Old Way: Post job. Interview candidates. Hire the best available.

The New Standard: Always be building your talent pipeline. Great teams are nurtured, not discovered.

How to Apply It: 

• Maintain relationships with high-potential people even when you're not hiring.

• Develop internal talent before looking externally.

• Make every team member a recruiter by creating a culture people want to join.

Creates Clarity vs. Secret Expectations

The Old Way: Assume people know what you want, then get frustrated when they don't deliver.

The New Standard: Clarity is kindness. Unclear expectations are unfair expectations.

How to Apply It: 

• Document expectations collaboratively, not dictatorially.

• Check for understanding, not just agreement.

• Revisit and refine expectations as circumstances change.

Acts Decisively vs. Avoids Conflict

The Old Way: Hope problems resolve themselves or wait for perfect information.

The New Standard: Indecision is a decision. Make the best choice with available information, then adjust as you learn.

How to Apply It: 

• Set decision deadlines and stick to them.

• Distinguish between reversible and irreversible decisions.

• Address underperformers directly and quickly before they metastasize.

Thinks Systemically vs. Fights Fires

The Old Way: React to problems as they arise.

The New Standard: Build systems that prevent problems. Fix root causes, not symptoms.

How to Apply It: 

• Ask "Why did this happen?" five times to get to root causes.

• Create processes that make success more likely than failure.

• Invest time in prevention to save time on correction.

Develops Deliberately vs. Fires Fast

The Old Way: Quick to hire, quick to fire.

The New Standard: Invest in development before you invest in replacement. Most performance issues are unsolved development puzzles.

How to Apply It: 

• Create individual development plans for each team member.

• Diagnose whether performance gaps are skill-based or will-based.

• Give people the tools and support they need before concluding they can't succeed.

Continuous Improvement vs. Defends Status Quo

The Old Way: "This is how we've always done it."

The New Standard: Question everything. The status quo is the enemy of innovation.

How to Apply It: 

• Regularly ask "What would we do differently if we were starting fresh?"

• Measure what matters and adjust based on what you learn.

• Encourage experimentation and intelligent failure.

Guards Focus Courageously vs. Contributes to Chaos

The Old Way: Say yes to everything and hope it all gets done.

The New Standard: Protect your team's focus like you protect your budget. Every "yes" to one thing is a "no" to something else.

How to Apply It: 

• Help your team distinguish between urgent and important.

• Shield your team from organizational chaos when possible.

• Say no to good opportunities so you can say yes to great ones.

The Integration Challenge

Here's what separates good managers from great ones: Integration.

Anyone can master one or two of these traits. Great managers integrate all 12 into a coherent leadership approach.

They don't just take ownership.
→ They take ownership while building trust and creating clarity.

They don't just act decisively.
→ They act decisively while thinking systemically and developing their people.

They don't just guard focus.
→ They guard focus while continuously improving and recruiting relentlessly.

Your Next Move

Stop thinking about whether you're a manager or a leader. Start thinking about which of these 12 traits needs your attention.

Pick one. Master it. Then move to the next.

Because in today's world, there's no such thing as "just a manager."

There are only leaders who happen to have management responsibilities.

What You Missed This Week

Our Saturday AM posts:

📌 13 Questions That Could Change Your Career (Dave on LI)
📌  My Most Important KPI (Mar on LI)
📌 Why It Pays to Codify Your Principles (Dave on X)

And here are our most popular posts last week:

🔥   Interview Questions to Ask Prospective Managers (Dave on X)
🔥  Why I Trade Sleep to Write (Mar on LI)
🔥  The 4 Types of Trust (Dave on LI)

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Thank you for reading. Appreciate you!

Dave & Mar