Business Queensland provides insights on the characteristics of a business leader, and sets out the difference between managers and leaders.

Though different leadership styles can be used at different times in a business, some character traits are important for all leaders. They are:

• self-awareness – understanding your own strengths and weaknesses;
• decisiveness – the ability to make decisions quickly;
• fairness – treating others equally;
• enthusiasm – motivating a team with a positive attitude;
• integrity – earning the respect of your team;
• knowledge – keeping abreast of the facts and figures;
• creativity and imagination – coming up with new and innovative ideas; and
• endurance – persevering when things go wrong.

Remember, it’s just as important to be able to spot these abilities in others as it is to have them yourself. You should assess the skills your staff already possess and how you may be able to draw on them.

There are also characteristics that any successful leader will avoid, such as:

• poor communication – leads to misunderstandings and errors;
• reluctance to delegate – leads to resentment and inefficiencies; and
• favouritism among staff – leads to resentment.

Managers and leaders

So, what’s the difference between managers and leaders?

Management and leadership complement each other, but they are separate roles. A leader inspires, motivates and encourages people to achieve visionary goals. A manager, on the other hand, deals with the actual operation of a business.

Typical managerial tasks include:

• ensuring products and services reach clients in the way they expect – a manager needs a good understanding of customer service;
• evaluating business operations and all legal requirements;
• ensuring all work health and safety responsibilities are met; and
• planning budgets and arranging suitable training for staff.

Each business will include both leaders and managers, and they can sometimes be the same person. However, there is a clear difference between the two roles.

A leader can only inspire a team to success if there is a management structure in place to ensure tasks are carried out. Likewise, a leader who wants to be effective must be careful that they are not spending too much time managing and not enough time leading.

Source: Business Queensland, Queensland Government.