A Distinction between Leaders, Managers, Coaches & Mentors

There is an obvious distinction between “manage” and “lead”. Managers maintain, leaders progress. Do we want our society to stay where it’s at, or do we want it to grow? Then why do we call some of our business men and women “managers?” Why not call them “leaders!”

A manager may do things right. That is, he or she will maintain the status quo because they will do what has always been done. Leaders, on the other hand, do the right things. That is, they have a sense of a greater purpose and mission to extend beyond their current abilities. Doing the right things may involve more risk, but it will also yield a higher return.

Managers are usually efficient. They’ve learned to streamline processes to get the job done as quickly as possible. Leaders, however, are more concerned with being effective. They have a bigger dream and vision in their minds than managers see. If leaders have to slow things down temporarily in order to speed things up in the long run, they will.

A coach is usually an outsider who is not involved in the activities that his trainees are involved in. This can be a great benefit. The coach is able to see things that the players will not be able to see. The coach can share this information with the players, and by sharing some distinctions that only he can see from the outside, cause the players to win.

You may have already known the differences between a manager and a leader. But, if you own a business, or if you are working for a company, how different do you think you would feel with leaders instead of managers? You don’t have to go around to every employee in the company and explain the distinction. The distinction can present itself subconsciously once the vocabulary is changed. That’s the magic of words.

In a smaller group, you need to decide to become a mentor. A mentor is a leader who has a specific person he or she wishes to train as they move forward. A mentor creates a personal relationship with somebody and allows that connection and intimacy to give confidence to them and raise their self-esteem.

The magic a mentor can provide is that intimacy is “into-me-see”. By allowing others to truly see his or her heart and soul up-close and personal, they will be inclined to trust. From that trust, they can move forward, get outside of their comfort zone and eventually become a mentor themselves.

Mentors are essential. Everybody needs mentors to help them improve their own lives. We’ll also find that mentors themselves have mentors. Having a mentor is an indication of future success.