I was reminded by my boss yesterday of a moment years ago…

A personal moment, but one that often drags me through the hardest times. Hence this is more of a reflective blip.

I sat in a coffee with my boss at the time.

Although this wasn’t work related as you may expect, this was a personal moment…

He asked what I was aiming for, what my next step was

I responded that I wanted a team to manage.

By the time I finished my coffee, I had learnt a lot…

Like any good coach, he hadn’t told me ‘what was right’, but guided me to my own answers

It was at that point I learnt…

Being a leader is not the same as being a manager.

Managers have people responsibility. They do the admin behind having people. They are responsible for their well being.

If they are good, sure they will also be leaders, but many aren’t.

Being a manger is not a pre-requisite to being a leader.

Leaders build a performing team, they get the best out of people. They motivate, they drive and they respect and are respected by the team.

Managers are promoted. Leaders earn the respect.

Most importantly I realised at that time that not being a manager does not give you permission not to lead.

There are no excuses not to be a team player…