Updated April 26, 2023
Difference Between Project Managers vs Project Leaders
Project Managers vs. Project Leaders – If there’s one debate that is vibrantly alive in project management circles, it’s the one on project managers vs. project leaders.
- Are project managers really that different from project leaders?
- If so, what constitutes this difference?
- Which role is more impactful and hence more powerful?
- What can I personally do to make for a better manager/leader? And can I be both at the same time?
We tell you that “Yes,” the default project manager can be quite different from his project leader counterpart. Or not! The key lies in his approach and not in his role. In this post, we attempt to demystify this statement for you.
This post also intends to stir within you the seed for higher transformation. So as you read through the subtle differences captured below, you will also come across notable quotes from revered leaders of our times, so you will feel inspired to transform from a mere project manager to an outstanding leader!
Project Managers vs Project Leaders
The below infographics on Project Managers vs. Project Leaders highlight significant differences between the two.
Project Managers coordinate another’s vision, Leaders create their own
As always, it all begins with the vision. Here’s a quote from American botanist George Washington Carver who cleverly captured its significance:
“Where there is no vision, there is no hope!”
Consider what you can “lead” without a vision if you think that’s a harsh statement. As a project manager, you align with the goals and project manager’s objectives, as defined by another – perhaps your immediate boss, the company CEO, or even an important client. But the truth remains that you’re essentially working for somebody else’s vision. It is not a bad state of affairs. But when you decide to own it, you transform into a driven leader.
We don’t mean that you hijack another’s vision here, but that you take complete ownership and responsibility for it. You go well beyond the definition of your role as you strive to fulfill a dream you treat as your very own. You may continue working for your boss, your CEO, or that important client, but the refined attitude with which you drive your peers and juniors will reflect that of a commanding leader.
Transformation tip: As a project manager, constantly ask yourself, “Do I fully understand the vision? Am I supremely excited about it? How can I make it my own and take responsibility for it?” You will see that you’re performing as a leader!
All Leaders are Project Managers; the reverse is not Necessarily True
Again, we refer here to the approach with which you tackle your role, not the title of your position. If you are a leader, you will have learned to “manage” resources (like time, money, people, etc.). It’s an administrative task that’s part of your role!
On the other hand, not all project managers can “lead” followers.
As a manager, your job description places you in charge. Your proactive attitude puts you at the forefront as a leader, so no matter what role you play, you remain firmly in charge. As award-winning author/speaker James M. Kouzes succinctly says, “Titles are granted, but it’s your behavior that earns you respect.”
Note: Become a Project Manager
Project Managers drive projects, Leaders drive people
It is yet another significant difference. For project managers, it’s all about the project: status, milestones, project plans, risks, budget, performance, etc. Not that these aren’t important, but when you “lose” yourself in the project’s dynamics, you remain a humble project manager.
Leaders keep an eye on the project’s dynamics but reserve their full attention for their most treasured resource: People. How good are your project plans if you need an enthusiastic team to make them happen? Leaders realize this truth.
Leaders do more than drive projects; they inspire their people, spur their team on, and galvanize an entire crew to act right and move forward! No prizes for guessing which team you’d personally prefer to work with: the dull project manager or the captivating leader!
Perhaps this sentiment was finely stated by famous Management consultant and leader Peter Druker, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
Indeed!
Project Managers strive to meet goals, Leaders strive to be bigger than their goals
As a project manager/ leader, you can set goals for yourself, your team, or possibly a whole company. What is your underlying attitude when you put these goals?
- Do you operate from a fear of (potential) failure?
- Do you tend to stay in the “safe” zone?
- Do you draw the future based on what has been possible in the past?
Your goals expose one real virtue that differentiates project managers from more prominent leaders (also project managers): the ability to become even more significant. Leader constantly strives to think big, plan big, act big, and become even bigger than themselves. They’re not interested in merely fulfilling their goals and objectives; they push to surpass them (and themselves) beyond measure!
As corporate magnate Donald Trump proclaimed, “You have to think anyway, so why not think BIG?” It is undoubtedly true for the project manager cum leader.
Leaders take responsibility to erase all impossibility
As a project manager, you will face some challenges that first seem impossible to overcome.
- You may be running late on an important deadline and fear backlash from top stakeholders.
- You may have run out of funds for your project. (Gulp!)
- Perhaps core members of your team have quit, and your project suddenly lacks critical expertise
- Maybe that prototype did not deliver the expected result, and senior management is considering shelving your project
The key lies in looking beyond this initial perception.
Sportswear giant Adidas seems to have got it right when they play “Impossible is Nothing!” It is not just a positive-thinking spiel for leaders but a practical guide to thinking straight. Leaders realize that it is NOT the extreme situation but your decision determining what is possible or impossible.
Henry Ford, the visionary leader, rightly captured this subtle truth when he noted, “If you think you CAN (do a thing), or think you CAN’T (do a thing), you’re right.”
Leaders consistently decide that they CAN (do anything). Then, backing this decision with renewed knowledge and resources to make it happen is merely a matter.
When a project manager consistently works from this space, regardless of his title/role, he is a tenacious leader who takes responsibility for erasing all possibilities. Bravo!
Project Managers are DO-ers, Leaders are THINK-ers
This premise catches the under-developed project manager off-guard. You’re managing plenty: milestones, people, project managers’ skills and time, a whole lot of money, a whole lot of rigid expectations, etc., etc. And yet, we have the gall to tell you that you’re only a DO-er. Huh??
As always, it all boils down to one fundamental question: How do YOU see yourself (and your role)?
- Do you see yourself as a manager coordinating multiple teams and the skills/ resources/ commitment they bring to your project?
- Does your focus lie on “making things happen”?
- Are you a tactical manager: organizing stuff, controlling things, resolving problems, etc.?
OR,
- Do you see yourself as an enabler of extraordinary talent?
- Does your focus lie on empowering others to make it happen?
- Are your efforts spent on better strategies through vision, inspiration, and innovation?
As you can see, managers are mere DO-ers who can get excellent but limited results. Leaders are real thinkers that inspire outstanding results.
Quoting the genius that was Henry Ford, “My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.” As a leader, you certainly want to be your team’s best friend!
Project Managers challenge their team, Leaders challenge themselves
Through this post, we’ve been shedding light on the importance of project managers and being an enabler for others in your project. But under no situation should you mistake this as an opportunity to relax, even as you constantly push others!
We’ve often heard project managers comment, “See, I’m a great project leader coz I’m constantly challenging my team.” If you’re one such manager, we have a question: Do you challenge yourself with as much ferocity as you challenge others?
You’ve heard of the “lead by example” premise; never is this more relevant than in a project management scenario. While challenging your team can keep high achievers on their toes and hungry for more, it can also backfire on the mediocre performers looking towards you for inspiration. Here’s where your personal work ethic counts.
Almost everybody loves to work with a “challenging” leader, and by this, we don’t mean that you put others on the spot by assigning their complex tasks, but that you constantly challenge yourself (and others) beyond your comfort zone, and show them how it’s done. It’s essential here to focus on both ends of the spectrum: challenging yourself, even as you positively empower (and challenge) others. Only then can collective evolution happen (the only type of evolution that works in leadership scenarios).
Evolution is also incredibly contagious. So with time, your team, too, will catch that virtue that encourages one to constantly strive to better oneself and support others to do the same.
Quoting again from James M. Kouzes’ Leadership Challenge, “Exemplary leaders know that if they want to gain commitment and achieve the highest standards, THEY must be models of the behavior they expect of others.”
Are you an exemplary role model for project leadership?
Project Managers are committed to winning, Leaders are committed to learning
As a project manager, have you ever encountered team members that are more skilled than you? They are better than you, so you are unsure how to “manage” them? It’s almost like their superior skills taunt your lack of knowledge!
Well, leaders have no such problem.
Project Managers are often committed to winning on a project: win the next bid, win your client’s trust, win over your competition, win your project’s success by all means, etc. Winning is a good thing. But when you become addicted to it at the cost of learning, you lose more than you win.
Project leaders are consistently committed to learning; it comes from constantly striving to do even better. How can they deal better, plan better, budget better, administer better, strategize better, lead better, and be even better every day? So when they come across that superior-skilled member, they welcome this as an opportunity to learn even better.
One leader who emulated this principle was American President and Leadership legend John F Kennedy. He proudly proclaimed, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
It’s a lesson well learned.
Conclusion
We will take a step back here and say that we understand if you still need clarification on the terms of project manager and project leader. After all, several corporates encourage both roles for the seamless execution of a project. But like we’ve been iterating through this post, it’s never about the title or the role but the personality behind the position.
Your title may declare you a project manager. But if you’ve been showcasing the progressive leadership qualities expressed here, rest assured that you are a true leader. People leader, project leader, without-team leader – it doesn’t matter!
The purpose of management leadership (including “project”-based management) is to constantly expand our capabilities, even as we empower others to emulate the same. The expansion and inspiration of the people involved make projects successful!
We leave you with one final quote from an American statesman and thorough leader, Henry A. Kissinger.
“The leader’s task is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.”
We couldn’t have said it better!!
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This is a guide to Project Managers vs Project Leaders. Here we have discussed the basic concept,major points of differences between the two along with infographics.You may look at the following articles to learn more –
