The common characteristics between managers and leaders include but are not limited to critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and communication skills. However, there are distinguishable differences between the two, and these are explained below. By definition, a leader is a person who influences, guides, and directs behavior in a group of people/a team toward the achievement of specific goals.
On the other hand, a manager is an organization’s representative responsible for work management for a group of employees and involved in requisite actions whenever necessary. A leader creates a clear vision and communicates it to the team members while at the same time encouraging them to work towards the vision. In contrast, the manager formulates the organization’s structure and delegates responsibilities and authority to the employees.
Another main difference between managers and leaders is in their authority. For instance, leaders operate on informal authority by virtue of their known qualities, while managers have formal authority that is dictated by their positional roles. Also, leadership exists both in formal and informal structures, while managerial roles only exist in formal organizational structures.