Overseeing people and projects is a big responsibility. To perform it properly and produce the best results, you need to take the right approach. So does that mean managing your team or leading it? Here’s the difference and how using a mix of both styles can help you achieve success:

When to Manage

Managing a team is more about the business side of the operation. It’s about hiring the right people, ensuring you have the skill sets you to need on board, measuring progress, and dealing with performance issues if they arise. Managing a team, whether five people or 500, is also about strategizing, analyzing metrics, and working toward bottom-line goals and results. Some other instances when managing comes into play include the following:

• You have a new project to discuss with your team and plan to outline specific objectives, expectations and milestones.
• You need specific tasks performed within a certain time frame and assign them to team members while providing the tools and support necessary to complete them.
• You need to measure performance and examine the results your employees achieved to ensure they’re on track.

When to Lead

Leading your team, on the other hand, is different than managing since it focuses more on people and less on the nuts and bolts of your operation. For instance, if you have an employee who’s struggling or if you’re working to get your team more engaged, then leadership skills are going to come in handy. The right ones are going to help you improve morale, communicate your vision, and coach your staff. In addition, tapping your leadership abilities will be helpful in situations where:

• You need to encourage, support or guide staff members through certain steps or to specific goals.
• You’re focusing on bigger picture goals, communicating your vision to your team and then providing them with the autonomy to achieve certain goals.
• You have to motivate your team through collaboration, idea sharing and feedback to ensure everyone is on the same page and is invested in reaching a certain goal.

When you’re in charge of people, you’re going to be a manager at times and a leader in other instances. In general, managers tend to focus on tools, results, outcomes and analyzing data. Leaders, on the other hand, look for new ways to do things, develop plans for the future, and ask employees to communicate their own visions for success.

Whether you consider yourself a manager, a leader or both, Murray Resources can help you hire.

With over 30 years of experience and a range of awards, we can keep your team optimally staffed at all times with the talent you need, whether temporary, temp-to-hire, or full-time. Contact us today to learn more.