Understanding the difference between Management and Leadership is a vital skill for our Leaders in any industry. We need to ensure we have our team willing to follow us because they want to, not because they have to.

Being a Manager, your focus will be on the bottom line and systems whereas the Leader will focus on people. The true Leader understands his/her team and what they need to ensure seamless productivity and the freedom to try new things. If we reflect on the markets in which we do business today, it is clear that in order to stay ahead of our competitors, it is no longer just about the product or service we offer, it is also about efficiency, service delivery and attitude of our staff. This is where true Leaders stand out from the crowd. They have next to them a dedicated team willing to deliver exceptional results.

Now we also know that people say leaders are born, not taught. I differ from that opinion as it is possible to train managers to become leaders. If you do not have the skills, you are not able to fulfil the role. This goes for any profession. Once you have been trained to adapt to being a leader instead of a manager, you have those skills and by implementing it and continually improving on it, you will be a great leader!

Get to know your team and what it is that drives them, lead by example and maintain solid and clear communication. These are just a few things you need to do to ensure you become great at what you do. Continued training is something we tend to overlook yet it is a very important component of our careers. Look for the areas you struggle with and find training that can assist you with improving your skills in those areas. We are never too old to learn and it is important to realise the world around us is changing at a rapid rate. Things that we thought were best practice for our industry have evolved and more to the point, people are changing and so does their needs and wants. These are things we need to keep pace with or get left behind very quickly.

Are you ready to take that next step to being a Great Leader?