Making the distinction between management and leadership is essential to success in any project or business endeavors. You lead people, but manage tools, budgets, machines, time and other related resources. Leadership comes from a sense of security and management from a place of insecurity. If you have the right persons for the positions, they can be led to stretch to unimaginable heights and accomplishments. People follow once the leader gives a clear vision and an understanding of how they fit into this vision.
Managing people implies goals, deadlines, reports and constant monitoring – a fine-tuning and maintenance fit only for machines. All these are time-consuming. You are creating the “I am paid to do what I am asked to do. I am a limited being,” persona.
Specific class exercises and team games can illustrate this distinction, and help make the transition, among training participants, from a people manager to a people leader.