The other day, I was talking to a friend. “I don’t like the word manager. I prefer the word leader,” she said. We were talking about Social Media.
I didn’t answer to her. I didn’t take the time to answer to every single article, to every single book, to every single infographic about the great positive word “leader” and the mean negative word “manager”.
In my mind you can not be a successful leader without being a successful manager. A leader leads people, inspires, motivates; leads by example. A manager manages systems, manages money, manages time, manages means.
Let’s talk about Oprah Winfrey. She ran a show for 25 consecutive seasons, 4,562 episodes. She managed to lead people onto her show like Michele Obama, Antony Robbins, Michael Jackson, Nelson Mandela. People who wouldn’t go to an interview regularly, trusted her.
She created a hugely successful media empire and now she redefines her own show, taking her endeavours a step further. The revenues from her businesses led her to worth an amazing 3.1 billion dollars. (Don’t trust me! Trust Google!) She managed her money and created a leading media empire. She reached her goals by managing her time, money, education and every means she got in order to inspire, motivate and, as a good leader, lead by example. That is what made us all believe in her; the fact that she leads by example.
When Oprah Winfrey talks about giving, she gives. When she talks about gratitude she thanks. When she talks about reading important books, she firstly reads these books. We never saw her being late at her show. She must be a good time manager. She wouldn’t be a great leader without being a great manager. She wouldn’t be one, without being the other.
We tend to need a title in order to behave in a certain way. “Oh, I am not the manager. This is not my responsibility.” Have you ever said that? I have. It wasn’t my responsibility. But could I do something about the case in front of me? Yes. Manage your language, manage your feelings, manage your thoughts and lead my example. Don’t expect the manager or a respected leader to come and save you. Discover the great manager and leader you are.
Every time we do what we said we would,
We come prepared for a meeting,
We make sure we are presentable,
We respect people’s time,
We encourage our fellow neighbours,
We follow up our timeframes,
Every time, we make our presence count, we prove we are a great leader and a great manager. In every single decision we are making, we show who we are. Don’t worry about labels. Labels can not define you. You actions do.
