Founderology Forum
Can you distinguish between managers and leaders?
Photo: Adobe
May 2, 2025
The word, “leadership,” is the most misused and misunderstood word in business In business, leadership is often misused and misunderstood, particularly when it comes to the direct reports of Founders and CEOs. Understanding the difference between a true leader and someone who merely holds a leadership title is crucial for the success and growth of any organization.
Leaders vs. managers: A critical distinction
Businesses struggling with growth, financial performance, operational excellence, and competitive sustainability often have a “leadership” team composed of managers and team members with leadership titles rather than true leaders. How can you distinguish between the two?
Warren Bennis, a pioneer in modern leadership theory, highlighted the differences between managers and leaders as far back as 1985. Here’s a quick comparison to help identify true leadership within your team:
Assess Your Leadership Team
Reflect on these questions regarding your leadership team:
- Do they share and believe in your vision?
- Can they lead without constant direction from you?
- Do they proactively address issues before they become problems?
- Are they self-starters?
- If you took six weeks off with no contact, would you
- Be nervous?
- Be Concerned?
- Cancel Your Trip?
If your answers lean more towards “no,” congratulations! If you have mixed feelings, read on.
Building leadership for growth and scalability
To build a team of true leaders, I sought insights from Steve Gibson, founder and CEO of TalentServed. Here’s what Steve had to say:
“Identifying the right positions to add to your team and then filling those positions with correctly experienced people is an essential key to successfully preparing your group for growth. When you have experienced leaders in functional roles like Multi-Unit Operations, Human Resources, Marketing, and Finance, you’ll be in the driver’s seat of a more smoothly running business ready to scale.”
Reflect your leadership
Remember, “the team is a reflection of the leader.” In over 20 years of scaling businesses, the most successful ones always had the strongest team of leaders. Start building your business by first building a team of leaders.
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