The debate between whether you’re a leader or a manager has been going on for decades. Just when you think that it’s all been sorted, someone takes the other side and argues persuasively against whichever position you hold. The more you think about it, the more confused you become. You want to embrace the one, but not at the expense of the other, and so you’re torn between the two.

Usually the dilemma arises when you’re convinced that you’re a leader, and then someone comes along and tells you that you’re really a manager – that true leaders live in the stratosphere of competence and capability. True leaders, they say, have more letters after their names than in them, more degrees than a thermometer, and are captains in their industries. It’s easy to make the distinction between the two of you because in your heart you know that you’ll never get to have lunch with them, never mind move in their circles.

The reason that your self-esteem sinks is because your when your psychological water balloon gets punctured, all the water falls on you. Society has made it so that leaders have and hold onto more prestige than managers. “Anyone can manage,” they say, “but not everyone can lead.” Or, “leaders are born, not made.” And, of course, if you aren’t a born leader, then it’s easy to believe that you can’t become one.

There are a few problems with all of this, which is probably why this discussion won’t go away.

The first problem is that leaders need managers, and managers need leaders. The reason why leaders have more prestige is because they tend to be the ones who are found in the limelight.

Leaders are the ones who create a vision and who encourage everyone to reach for it. They are those who are expected to give guidance for what changes are needed to make the organisation better and, as a result, kudos tend to be reserved for them when success does occur.

Managers on the other hand, work behind the scenes. They take the vision of the leader, change it into objectives and goals, and develop and implement methods that enable it to be fulfilled. When things go wrong, however, they get the blame.

Who would want to be a manager under those circumstances?

The second problem is that some people really do have a natural predisposition to leadership. Have you ever noticed that they are also the ones that tell you that not everyone is a leader? What they’re saying is that they are among the privileged few that were born with this innate talent. The truth is that they’re so full of themselves that they can’t see past their own pride; and they seem to overlook the fact that such an attitude is far from what is expected of true leaders.

Long ago, the research demonstrated that there are certain behaviours that leaders exhibit, and when people see them, they follow. It doesn’t matter if those who do them do so because it comes naturally or is learned. The opposite is true, as well. In the absence of them, no one will follow, whether the person who fails to do them is a natural leader or not.

The third problem is that the confusion that’s caused by trying to resolve the two roles. For example, how can one person try to promote change when the other is doing all he or she can do to maintain the status quo. You may be thinking that the very idea is ridiculous that one would do one thing, while the other did something else; but check your definitions. Look in your management books. You’ll find that what managers and leaders allegedly do contradict one another.

The solution is to recognise that the two roles co-exist. The one doesn’t cancel out the other. If you assume that both can’t be true, then you’ll come unstuck every time; the same thing holds if you allow yourself to be persuaded that one role is more important than another.

So once and for all, stop agonising over which of these you are. You’re both; and no matter what you find yourself doing, remember that you’re providing a vital service wherever you work.

If you want to improve your leadership and management skills, contact us here