Yesterday, during a mentoring session, we talked about being a leader or being a manager. Is it the same thing or are 2 things completely opposite? Can the two concepts coexist?
I believe that both the manager and the leader must coexist in order to deliver results that pursue efficiency and effectiveness and I place them both under the concept of process owner. Over the years I have read and participated in various discussions and debates in which we have talked about the differences between manager and leader. I noticed that:
Everything that is positive and beautiful was attributed to the leader – for example:
✅ vision,
✅ the power to inspire,
✅ the power to motivate.
Instead, everything that implies strictest and not always pleasant things, have been assigned to the manager – for example:
✅ implementation,
✅ execution,
✅ verification and negative feedback.
I honestly failed to understand the value of these comparisons and differentiations in the context in which I, as Head of Quality, had to deal daily with the vision but also with its implementation, to inspire and motivate my team, but at the same time, and monitor it and give feedback when the trend was negative. In quality management systems we talk about process owner. We do not refer to either the manager or the leader, but to the process owner, who coordinates and leads the process and ensures that management systems are implemented, maintained and improved according to the organization's strategy.
Process owner:
✅ Is competent and assumes responsibility for the performance of the process he coordinates.
✅ Ensures that process objectives and indicators are aligned with the strategic direction of the organization.
✅ Ensures the integration of legal requirements, customer, and stakeholder requirements in its processes.
✅ Promotes and applies the process approach.
✅ Promotes and applies risk-based thinking.
✅ Ensures the availability of resources and the development of team members' skills.
✅ Communicates to the team the importance of the efficiency and effectiveness of the process on the entire organization, customers, and other stakeholders.
✅ Inspires, directs, and supports the team in achieving performance objectives.
✅ Promotes continuous improvement.
✅ Supports other teams in achieving the organization's objectives.
✅ Gives feedback and coordinates improvement actions when targets are not met.
✅ Constantly measures internal and external performance to improve results.
At the end of the month / quarter / year, the process owner (being the leader and manager at the same time) assumes the results achieved by his process in front of the management and in front of his team. To have a stable process, with a constant and healthy development, it is necessary every day to motivate, inspire, implement, and measure the performance of its process in achieving the objectives and indicators.
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