The Little Black Book for Managers: How to Maximize Your Key Management Moments of Power

5

Your Focus

5.1 Inspire them!

Your roles as a manager and as a leader are primarily about inspiration. A manager should inspire each person individually with something that connects with their personality and work–life demands; whereas a leader should inspire the whole team by developing and communicating a sense of community and a worthwhile goal.

Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman offer a supporting and brilliant explanation of the difference between the duties of a manager and the duties of a leader in their book First Break All The Rules¹:

“Great managers know and value the unique abilities and even the eccentricities of their employees, and they learn how best to integrate them into a coordinated plan of attack.

This is the exact opposite ...