“Managers do things right. Leaders do the right things.” Conventional wisdom is proud of maxims like this. As we mentioned earlier, it uses them to encourage managers to label themselves “leaders.” It casts the manager as the dependable plodder, while the leader is the sophisticated executive, scanning the horizon and strategizing. Since most people would rather be a sophisticated executive than a dependable plodder, this advice seems positive and developmental. It isn’t. It demeans the manager role but doesn’t succeed in doing much else. The difference between a manager and a leader is much
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