Any business that wants to succeed in today’s competitive world requires both good managers and leaders to inspire their team so that the business goals can be accomplished. Both manager and leader have different traits that set them apart, but together they make a complete whole to establish the strategic management process.

Let’s take a look at these traits.

1. A leader sells their idea and strategy to others so that they can transform it into a reality. On the other hand, a manager tells people what they should do and how they should do to implement the idea.
2. A leader sets the direction of the business, but a manager plans the details so that everyone is on the same page.
3. A leader takes risks to ensure the payoff, if any, is worthwhile, whereas a manager reduces risks by being grounded and doing as instructed.
4. A leader encourages people to be creative and innovative while a manager instructs people on how to do a job.
5. A leader is a visionary and takes his followers everywhere. A manager focuses on KRAs and objectives of the vision.
6. A leader looks far into the future to chart new growth opportunities, whereas a manager looks mostly at the bottom line.
7. A leader challenges status quo and tries to improve processes while a manager accepts status quo and works within its ambit.
8. A leader sees an opportunity in a challenge while a manager sees a problem and just wants to fix it before the senior management notices it.
9. A leader thinks long-term and focuses on future growth and development, whereas a manager thinks short-term and worries about now.
10. A leader believes in charting new roads to fulfil a vision while a manager sticks to the roadmap and tried and tested methods.
11. A leader motivates and inspires people to worker harder and efficiently, and a manager approves a job well done and on time.
12. A leader breaks rules if they are holding them back whilst a manager establishes rules and sticks to them under all circumstances.
13. A leader does the right thing even if it means breaking the rules; but a manager does things right and in accordance with the rules.

Both leaders and manages are responsible for strategic management in their own ways. However, eventually, it is the leadership that drives the organization and gives a sense of purpose to the managers as well.