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A Leader is a Verb in the Past Tense


When conducting courses for different groups of managers, the discussion of what defines a manager or a leader, how to become one or the other, and whether one person can be both at the same time, is a frequent occurrence. This blog post is a summary of my current reflections on what makes one either.


Let’s start with a small quiz:


Part IWhat is the first thing you think about in the morning when heading to work?

  1. The tasks that need to be completed?

  2. How to better organize the work process?

  3. How to help the people working in your team?


Part IIWhat is my goal?


  1. To avoid negative consequences for myself;

  2. To ensure the company's operational efficiency;

  3. To ensure the company's sustainability and increase its value.


If you answered:


  • 1 for both questions, you are a specialist. A specialist is someone who focuses on and is responsible for executing specific tasks.

  • 2 for both questions, you are a manager. A manager is someone who focuses on and is responsible for organizing and executing business processes.

  • 3 for both questions, you are a leader. A leader is someone who focuses on and is responsible for engaging and motivating people to realize business processes and complete tasks.


A manager manages. They plan, organize, provide necessary resources, recruit people to complete tasks, monitor task execution, and solve both simple and complex problems. A leader inspires, motivates, and sets the direction the team will follow. In English, the difference between a manager and a leader is clear in the language itself: "managers manage, leaders lead." Leaders have influence over other people — their emotions, feelings, energy, and opinions.


This summer, I met with a group of ambitious high school students. During our discussions about the roles and responsibilities of managers and leaders, 80% of the students said they wanted to be leaders. As I looked at them, I thought, "Okay. Ambition is good, but what needs to happen for me to accept one of them as a leader?"


I realized there are two possible ways. The first is that someone earns my trust by proving themselves through their work. Specifically, by being a good manager who can plan and organize work processes to achieve challenging goals. In a successful team where priorities are clear, processes are well-organized, and problem-solving is effective, perhaps not the first time, but as success repeats, I will trust the manager more. It will then become easier for them to convince me to do something, even if I'm not 100% sure how it will work out.


The second way to become a leader is to address some of my insecurities, to boldly speak out about things I don’t dare to or don’t know how to talk about. This, I believe, explains the popularity of Instagram and YouTube influencers. Although I won’t deny that regularly publishing content, whatever the format, requires a lot of work, resources, organization, and discipline — something I respect even in those whose opinions I don’t agree with. Those with abundant resources can buy the popularity of their opinion, but even then, I respect their ability to attract resources.


In a discussion with a group of master's students in public management, we agreed on two things. First, a leader is someone who can attract followers. But does the number of followers determine whether I will remember this leader tomorrow? Yes, today their message resonates, but do real changes follow? Does what they say appeal only to my current mood, or does it inspire me to act and bring about the fundamental changes they preach in the long run?


The second thing we agreed on is that a leader is someone who has been able to influence society, processes, and events. But that can't be done without systematic work, without carefully designed action algorithms and processes. The impact can be both positive and negative. Even negatively perceived developments don't necessarily mean that the leader's driving force was weak. In the moment of action, it’s not always "visible to the eye." That’s why a leader is a verb in the past tense.


In conclusion, a manager is a position, while a leader is a way of life. We don’t remember managers; we remember leaders — people whose actions have changed, if not the whole world, then at least ours.


And it seems no one has an excuse not to strive to become a leader today. To try to change someone’s life for the better. Whether it worked, people will tell us tomorrow.

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