Cubicle Confidential

Leadership Lapses

Mary Abbajay & Chris DeSantis Season 3 Episode 93

Is there a difference between being a manager and a leader?

We tend to use them synonymously, but they’re not the same! Managers tend to be in the work and leaders are more of the work. But great managers must be leaders and great leaders need to have management skills, too.

In this episode, Mary and Chris help listeners learn how to beef up their managerial and leadership skills!

El Hefe La Chica en Chicago is a first-generation Mexican American female and the first in her family to graduate from college. She has just been promoted to manager at a popular casual dining chain. She wants to do everything in her power to come off as a strong leader and make a great first impression. How can she do that? What should she do when she meets her new team to start off on the right foot?

Management One, Leadership Zero in Zion works for a great manager but a lousy leader. They work with him daily and he’s clear, thorough, thoughtful, and organized. He does everything a good manager should do…so, what’s the problem? He doesn’t have a strong leadership presence. When he speaks at big meetings, he’s soft-spoken, clearly nervous, and he sounds anything but confident and decisive. Can they help him be perceived as a better leader or is that not their problem?

Leading Less is More Like it in Lubbock has just been promoted to manager but they don’t actually want to lead or manage anyone. They’re now “leading” a team of seven people. Their philosophy has always been that the leader is less important than the doer and that the people should just do their job well without interference from a manager. How can they get their new team to think more like them and at the same time not lead them down the path to do so?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: info@cubicleconfidential.com or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn!

People on this episode