Manager or Leader?

Managers manage. Leaders lead. Sounds simple, right? It’s not. 

Most managers think they’re leaders. They’re not. 

A title doesn’t make you a leader. A promotion doesn’t either.

Managers obsess over control. They check, they track, they micromanage. 

They think it delivers team efficiency. It doesn't. It’s suffocation. It may also be why their team mysteriously “loses WiFi” between calls.

Leadership is not given. It’s earned.

Leaders let go. They trust. They empower. 

Leaders build teams that don’t need babysitting. 

Leaders build teams that think. Teams that take ownership. 

You know you’ve made the leap when you stop trying to be the smartest person in the room. 

You hire people better than you. You let them shine. Their success becomes your success.

You even catch yourself grinning like a proud parent when they nail a presentation. Without you needing to jump in and “add one quick thing.” 

You stop running meetings. Your team does. 

You stop making every decision. Your team does. 

You stop needing to be in control. Because you’ve built something bigger than yourself.

And because, let’s be honest, micromanaging is exhausting. You’d rather spend your energy on something more useful. Perhaps, like perfecting your single handed backhand. Exactly like Roger Federer (dream big they said, sigh!)

The shift is quiet. Subtle. Unannounced. No fireworks. Just a moment when you realize;

You’ve stopped managing. You’ve started leading.